Skinny Love
by Apple Syder
Summary: And here she thought her biggest problem was passing her high school classes and getting over her huge crush on her sister's boyfriend. When did she get wrapped up in this web of danger and lies? Is it too late to go back to living in the shadows? Highschool AU. (Img by: NoTickleElmo)
1. Sister Sister

AN: So, here we are again. I'm giving this a shot, so if you like it please leave a comment or favorite so I know and can continue on! Thanks for your time. :)

Cover picture by NoTickleElmo. Hope you don't mind I borrowed it, I love it!

* * *

Sister Sister

August

The shrine was quiet in the morning, as it usually was. Sunlight filtered down through the leaves of the old Sacred Tree and across the cobblestones, warming the ground with the remnants of the heat of summer. Birds chirped and Buyo, a chubby old calico cat, waddled across the courtyard, eyeing them longingly. She stopped at the edge of the Higurashi house, pouncing to claw her way up a wooden post to the overhang of the first floor. Pawing across the roof tiles, she paused in a patch of shade to yawn and wash her ears after yummy tuna breakfast. She was in the middle of this when a commotion from the second floor window behind her startled her, knocking her off the roof to land heavily on the ground.

"Sota!" Kagome hollered inside, pounding on the bathroom door again, "Hurry up and come out!"

"I'm not finished!" Sota's muffled voice responded.

"Ugh! What's taking so long? It's not like you have all that much hair!"

"I got here first, Kagome! It's not my fault you woke up late!"

"Well, I was up late studying!" She pounded on the door one last time in frustration, cursing every form of math she knew. If her math teacher hadn't said there'd be a surprise Algebra test today, she would have been able to sleep on in ignorant bliss like normal.

She was already dressed in the short blue-plaid skirt and white shirt that were part of her high school uniform, but her hair was in complete disarray. After running a hand through her dark tangled hair she turned away, deciding to come back later. Returning to her room she quickly put her books in her bag, setting it by the door so it would be ready whenever she was. After that she hurried down the stairs, the smell of breakfast becoming stronger as she went.

Asako Higurashi stood at the sink, cheerful morning light coming in from the window and lighting on her short curly hair, sparkling on the few grey streaks that were beginning to appear. She turned when she heard Kagome's quick steps and smiled calmly at her daughter, wiping her hands on her yellow apron. "Good morning, dear."

"Morning, mom!" Kagome returned her mother's smile brightly.

"That's an...interesting hairstyle you have today, Kagome."

"Ah, no, mom, I haven't done it yet! Sota's hogging the bathroom."

"Ah, I see."

Kagome sat at the table across from her grandfather, who was preoccupied with the morning paper. Her grandpa was the keeper of the shrine, so he sat in his white kimono and navy pants, reading the paper headlines while absently trying to put egg in his mouth with his chopsticks. Half the time he missed, and bits of it ended up in his gray beard.

"Eh, look at that!" He exclaimed loudly, making Kagome look up from her own breakfast. "Oh this is truly, truly incredible, my goodness, haven't seen that in years, what are the odds..."

"What is it?" Kagome asked, knowing full well he was only making a big deal about it so he could tell her some ridiculous story.

"Just look at this, Kagome!" Grandpa flipped the paper around to show her a picture of an old man holding up some antique looking samurai mask and a sword. "Do you know what those are?"

"Some old junk he found in his attic?"

Grandpa's eyes lit up excitedly. "These are the mask and sword of none other than the great demon lord, the great Dog General who dominated the ancient east and western lands! It's said that he wore that mask into battle with an army from the Chinese continent over five hundred years ago, and that the blood of his enemies infused on the mask, so that whoever wears it now gains their powers. And his sword was created from a great fang—eh? Kagome, are you listening to me?"

Buyo, who had wandered inside, stood on her hind legs and tried to paw the bit of meat that Kagome held just out of reach. "Get it, come on, Buyo!" Kagome chanted playfully.

"Kagome!" Grandpa pounded a fist on the table indignantly, egg falling from his chopsticks to the floor. "Have you no interest in our family's history and legacy? This shrine has been in our family for generations and—"

"And our history determines our destiny." Kagome finished for him with a roll of her eyes. "I know, Grandpa. But save those kinds of stories for the visitors who come, not me. No one believes in that stuff anymore, Grandpa." Kagome picked her dishes up and brought them over to the sink, where her mother moved to let her rinse them.

"Why, you ungrateful grandchild, you..." Her Grandpa sniffed, teary eyed. "You used to love my stories, Kagome. What happened to my little girl?"

"They grow up so fast, don't they?" Asako said gently to her father-in-law, who dramatically tried to choke back tears.

Kagome let the warm water run over her dishes and hands, scrubbing at the porcelain absently. Her attention, however, was focused on the window over the sink. She looked out across the cobblestones to the line of trees at the edge of the shrine's property. She searched the shadows of the trees, and not finding what she wanted she rose up on her tiptoes to see past the glare on the window, forgetting all about the running water.

"He's over by the archway, Kagome." Asako said from the seat she had taken at the table.

Kagome jumped slightly, her cheeks a little flushed, and looked at her mother. "Huh, what?"

Asako smiled coyly behind her hand. "He's over by the archway. He got here about ten minutes ago. I haven't invited him in yet, if you'd like to."

Kagome was already looking back out the window—she had spotted him almost directly after her mother had said where he was. He leaned against a tree trunk, arms crossed, the shade from the tree dancing in the breeze over him. Even in the shadows, though, she could see his his white shirt and long dark hair.

"That guy, really. Does he think we bite?" Kagome sighed, shaking her head. "Can't be helped; I'll go get him." She turned the water off and dried her hands on a towel before heading out of the kitchen.

She didn't hear her mom giggle behind her and say to her grandfather, "We may have a bit of a love triangle on our hands. Could be trouble."

"Eh?" Grandpa responded. "Love triangle? What's that?" Asako just smiled.

Kagome headed to the front entry way, where the front door sat, undisturbed still at such an early hour. She slipped her shoes on and reached for the doorknob, only to immediately stop and hurry back down the hall to a small mirror that hung among all the family photos. She smoothed back her black hair the best she could, until she realized how ridiculous she was and gave up. She "humphed!" in determination and stalked straight back to the door, swinging it open and letting morning air spill in.

After blinking for a second to get the sunspots out of her eyes, she stepped across the cobblestones toward the trees on the other side. When she was close enough she called out, "Hey, Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha turned in her direction, surprised, and straightened a little as she approached. He unfolded his arms and placed his hands in the pockets of his navy blue pants, his long hair ruffled slightly by the breeze. He was the only boy she knew who could wear such long hair and still give off the air of a tough-guy with a lot of attitude. She thought it was quite beautiful, actually, and sometimes she felt the urge to touch it. She had once, though he wouldn't remember—that had been the first time she had seen him. He'd been here at the shrine, asleep beneath the Sacred Tree, where he probably thought no one would see him. Kagome had walked by only by chance, chasing after Buyo when Sota asked her to help him find the cat, and had been surprised to see a stranger sleeping on her property. She had neared, completely intending to give the trespasser a piece of her mind, only to stop when she saw how peaceful he was—his hands resting behind his head, his eyebrows, which she discovered later were usually down in a frown, relaxed. She had crouched down next to him, wondering who on earth he was, suddenly feeling guilty for wanting to wake him. Was he a boy from school? A tourist at the shrine? What was he doing, sleeping here of all places? His dark bangs were nearly in his eyes and the rest of his long hair was tucked behind him, but for some reason it had looked so soft and shiny that before she had realized it she had reached out and stroked it. Feeling completely embarrassed after that she had quickly backed away before he had woken up. It wasn't long afterwards when Kagome learned who he was and who he had been there waiting for. Just as he now waited, almost six months later, standing beneath a different tree and watching Kagome come with intense golden brown eyes.

"What's taking so long?" He demanded. "Is Kikyo done yet?"

Kagome shrugged. "I haven't seen her yet this morning. She'll probably be out in a minute."

He scoffed. "Geeze." He looked annoyed, but Kagome knew he wasn't. He was never annoyed with Kikyo.

Kagome looked at his face. It had become familiar to her in the past couple months, so she had begun to notice when it was different. He seemed tired and a bit tense. She wondered if something was bothering him, but didn't dare ask. That wasn't her place. So she only gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure she's about ready. You know what an early bird she is."

He gave her a sidelong look and smirked. "Yeah, unlike some people. What happened? You lose a fight with the hairbrush this morning?"

Kagome started, a sudden heat flaming across her cheeks. "Uh! Well, excuuuse me for not wanting to get up at the crack of dawn just so I can brush my hair in time to come sit under a stupid tree, waiting for Kikyo and looking like a stalker outside my house!"

That bothered him, like she knew it would. He was a "tough-guy", after all, and he hated being embarrassed. His aloof demeanor dropped (which was a total act, anyway, and she knew it) and a light blush crossed his cheeks when he snapped back, "Shut up! I don't need to be yelled at by a kid like you!"

"Kid! Who are you calling a kid? You're only a year older than me! Besides, mentally you're just a two year old with tantrum problems."

"Look who's talking, Jr., you're the one always getting snappy and bothering me!"

"Quit calling me Jr.! You know my name so use it, you idiot!"

"Who are you calling an idiot, you idiot?"

"You, obviously!"

They had gotten quite close in their argument, nearly nose to nose, and now each tried to give the other their best glare, as if whoever gave in first would win the argument. It was Kagome who caved, as she usually did, ending it by spinning sharply on her heel. "Well, I came out here to invite you in for breakfast, but maybe I don't want such a big jerk like you at my table!"

"I'd rather starve out here than have to sit by you, anyways." Inuyasha huffed, crossing his arms again.

"Fine, then starve!"

"Fine, I will!"

Kagome stalked all the way back to the house, grumbling angrily under her breath. She slammed the door open, kicked off her shoes, and stomped back into the kitchen, only to nearly run straight into her older sister. She stood at the counter, doing the last strap on her school bag. She was dressed in the same blue plaid skirt and white shirt as Kagome, as well as a navy blazer. Her long black hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, leaving her dark eyes and porcelain skin exposed. Her eyes focused on Kagome, who had stopped just short of her.

"Ah, good morning, Kagome," Kikyo said.

"Kikyo, I don't know how you date that guy! He is such a _jerk_!"

Kikyo raised her eyebrows slightly, taken aback. Kikyo had inherited the calm demeanor of their mother, and most of her reactions were subtle and composed. She blinked calmly at her younger sister, who shook with irritation and whose face had become a complete scowl. "You mean Inuyasha?"

"Who else?"

"Ah, I'm glad he's here already. I had something to talk to him about."

"Good luck talking to that idiot!"

"Have you two gotten in a fight again?" Kikyo gave her a reprimanding look. "Why does that always seem to happen with you two?"

Kagome sputtered defensively, "_He_ started it! I was just trying to be nice, but no! He had to be a jerk!"

Kikyo shook her head, her hair swinging just above her hips. "Kagome, really. _Try_ to get along with him."

"I do try! I try all the time! He's just so hardheaded and stubborn!"

Kikyo didn't bother mentioning that maybe it was also because Kagome was equally as hardheaded and stubborn, but instead picked up her school bag, straightening the skirt of her uniform as she walked away.

"Kikyo, dear, I haven't made a lunch for you yet." Asako said to her eldest daughter with some worry.

"That's all right, mother, I made one this morning. I left one for Kagome and Sota as well."

"Oh, how thoughtful! Well in that case, have a good day, dear. Tell Inuyasha we say hello."

"I will. Have a good day, everyone." Kikyo gave them a last calm smile and headed away, her Grandpa yelling blessings to ward off evil after her.

Kagome exhaled loudly as she heard the distant sound of the front door shutting. Her shoulders sagged and she avoided looking out the kitchen window as her sister walked toward the trees and the archway at the front of the shrine.

Just then her little brother Sota skipped down the stairs, calling out, "Good morning, everyone!"

Kagome rounded on him angrily. "This is all your fault, Sota!"

Sota jumped at her glare. "What, me, what did I do?"

"You took too long in the bathroom!"

"Well, sorry, it's free now! Geeze, I hope you don't get this mad every time you have a math test."

Kagome gasped. "Oh my gosh! I completely forgot!" She pushed past him and disappeared up the stairs.

"What's with her?" Sota asked.

"Don't mind her, dear," Asako said. "She's just a little tense."

"Are high school tests really that hard?" Sota asked nervously, knowing he was only a year out of junior high himself.

"High school may be that hard, but not because of the tests."

"What's that mean?"

Asako just smiled. Sota sat at the table, giving her a strange look. Grandpa said excitedly, "Sota, look at this, do you know what these are? These are the mask and sword of none other than the great demon lord, the great Dog General who dominated the east and western lands! It's said that he—Sota, are you listening? You ungrateful grandchild!"

Buyo sat on the kitchen windowsill, glancing at the boy and girl outside who were descending the shrine stairs towards the street before she began washing her paws.

* * *

The high school wasn't far from the Higurashi shrine, so biking there in the mornings was simple. In Kagome's first year of high school she had walked to school together with Kikyo, but eventually Kikyo became more busy and wanted to leave earlier, and eventually the sisters had decided to go at their own speeds. Kikyo was now in her third year, so she was quite occupied being class representative, a teacher's assistant, president of the archery club, and a volunteer for service whenever extra help was needed. On top of that she was studying for the college entrance exams which were coming up, aiming for the medical program at Tokyo University. How she found time to relax (if she ever did) or have a boyfriend was a mystery to everyone.

So Kagome biked to school by herself, enjoying the wind that whipped through her freshly brushed and done hair. She had made it in plenty of time, locking up her bike and catching up to her friends Eri and Yuka just as they were disappearing into the front doors.

"Gooood morning, Kagome!" Yuka greeted loudly, her softball duffle bag jerking around as she waved. "Ready for the Algebra test today? I hope you studied up!"

"Ugh, don't remind me..." Kagome slumped as though her backpack had suddenly become twenty pounds heavier. "I was up so late studying, but I still don't think I get it. Kikyo tried explaining it to me but I swear she was speaking a different language."

"Some people are just gifted," Eri said.

"Too bad it's not genetic. The gift of math skipped right over me."

They followed the stream of high school students down the hall, the girls in their navy blazers and skirts, the boys in white shirts, gray jackets, and blue ties. Blithe morning chatter between friends was accompanied by yawns and groans at being back to school after the weekend.

The high school itself was large, growing up rather than out, like so many buildings did in Tokyo. Outside, a large grass field surrounded the building, with several areas designated for various sports. Trees were planted along the edge of the grass, and a stone wall circled the school compound, with wide open gates on the North and South sides. Inside, the building was organized into rooms and sections; happy blue banners hung in the halls alongside the occasional poster with warnings about the approach of exams or announcing the school play or displaying the desperate plea for an English tutor. Most of the classrooms were on the higher floors, with the first years on the lower floors and the third years on the highest. The stairs that lead from floor to floor, therefore, were a mixture of students who used the staircase as a rendezvous point to see their friends from other grades and avoid the teachers who were in the halls.

Kagome and her companions climbed the stairs as they did every morning, avoiding a couple who was kissing goodbye as though they would never see each other again, and stepping around a group of guys that were tossing a soccer ball back and forth. They were halfway up the second flight of stairs when they heard someone calling out to them from behind. She hurried up the stairs after them, her thick brown hair pulled back in a low ponytail.

"Good morning!" Sango said as she caught up to them. "How is everyone?"

"Hey, sempai!" Yuka said happily. "So ready to practice for our game against the Northside school this Friday, how about you?"

"You bet!" Sango held up her fist. "We'll clobber 'em, just like we did Westside last week!" She turned to Kagome and Eri. "Are you guys coming to watch? I made a bet with my brother I could knock another ball out of the park."

"Sure, our drama preliminaries will be done by then, so I'll be free," Eri said.

Kagome sighed. "Depends on how badly I do on my math test. I might have to spend this whole weekend going over the test material again."

Sango patted her on the back. "Oh, come on, Kagome, you'll do alright. You usually manage to get by just fine. You haven't failed a class yet."

"I suppose so. And just so long as I pass, that's enough. Junior colleges don't need any kind of prodigies, right?"

"Right!" Sango returned her smile.

Kagome had known Sango for several years now. They had met through their younger brothers, who were friends in the elementary school, and after a short time the girls had become friends themselves. They had grown very close over the years, despite Sango being a grade older, and had agreed to attend the same junior college in Tokyo once they had both graduated.

Eri shook her head. "I don't get you two. Why not try a university? Everyone else is studying for the exams and you two would both be a shoe in."

"Well, I don't need a university degree to help run the shrine, and that's what I'm planning on doing. All I need is a few history classes and maybe some management, and I can get those at a junior college. And those are subjects I'm good at, so I'll do just fine." Kagome said.

Sango nodded. "And I'm planning on taking over my father's dojo, so I don't need a university degree, either."

"I'm kind of jealous you two already have your whole future figured out," Yuka said. "You have no idea how stressful it is when the teacher's breathing down your neck, telling you to pick a career."

"Hardly! Where's your sense of adventure and opportunity, Yuka?" Eri grabbed Yuka by the shoulders, a fire lighting in her eyes, her short hair falling from behind her yellow headband in excitement. "Can't you see all the possibilities in front you, stretching on into the horizon, just waiting for you to venture forth and claim them?"

"Uh, I dunno Eri, all I want to do is play softball. Can't I just do that?"

Sango and Kagome chuckled as Eri wrapped an arm tightly around Yuka and went on to dramatically describe all of Yuka's possible careers in her best theater voice. Kagome and Sango moved up the stairs ahead of them, ignoring Yuka's gestures for help as the other students stepped around the two girls, giving them strange looks.

"Eri, she always gets so fired up about the funniest things," Sango chuckled.

Kagome smiled. "I think it's great she sees the future like that. We need more people like her."

"You're probably right."

They reached the top of the second flight of stairs and turned to ascend the third. As they did so a couple of first year girls spotted them and said with some quiet excitement, "Good morning, Kikyo."

Kagome blinked for a moment before she realized they were talking to her. She smiled at them. "Good morning, girls."

Sango watched the girls continue down the stairs, giggling to each other that Kikyo had said hello to them, before she turned to Kagome, irritated. "Seriously, people are _still _doing that?"

"It's ok, Sango. It's not their fault."

"Come on, it's been almost two years! They should know the difference by now."

"Those girls looked young—I'm sure they have no idea I exist. It's just an honest mistake. And most of the second and third years don't mix us up anymore."

Sango raised an eyebrow at her. "It really doesn't bother you?"

"Nope."

Sango shook her head in appreciation. "Well, then, you're a better person than me. I think it'd drive me crazy to be stuck in my sibling's shadow all the time."

Kikyo's shadow. That was where she was. Where she had been for a long time, she supposed. It seemed funny to her, though, since she had never once felt that way growing up. Kikyo was just Kikyo, her sister who cared for her, and Kagome was Kagome. They had always looked alike, and it didn't help that they were only a little over a year apart—they had often been mistaken for twins. It wasn't until she had entered high school that she realized just what a large shadow Kikyo cast. Kikyo's calm and accepting personality, not to mention all of her great achievements and incredible beauty, had won the attention and admiration of practically the whole school. No one disliked her, and those who did only did so without reason. When Kagome had been a first year, she had been mistaken for Kikyo daily, and more than once someone thought she was joking when she said she wasn't her. After a while she'd gained the nickname "Kikyo Jr." from most of the upperclassmen. All in all, Kagome supposed she should take it as a compliment, and eventually she had given up trying to explain who she was every time. She just let them think she was Kikyo, or let them call her "Kikyo's little sister" or "Kikyo Jr.", and knew that the people who really mattered knew who she was. And Kagome agreed that Kikyo was amazing, and she was always proud of her older sister's hard work. So most of the time it never bothered her.

It did, however, bother Sango greatly. Sango and Kikyo were friendly, but they had never clicked enough to reach the close relationship Sango and Kagome shared. Kagome held the firm affirmation that Sango was the single greatest woman in Japan and could accomplish anything and Sango saw Kagome for who she really was, and thought that she didn't deserve to be in anyone's shadow.

"Speaking of Kikyo, how's the club hunt going? Anything strike your fancy yet?" Sango asked.

"Erm, well...I'm still looking."

"What happened with the Astronomy club?"

"Decided it wasn't for me. I like the stars, but getting up at three in the morning all the time was probably the last thing I wanted to do. Honestly, those people are crazy."

"No kidding. What about the photography club?"

"Well, I might have had some nice pictures, but I opened up the back of the camera and over-exposed all the film. It's a shame though, I had some good pictures of you at practice, and this adorable one of Sota and Buyo asleep together." She sighed. "They probably would have still let me in the club, but I opened the door to the darkroom by accident when they told me not to, and destroyed all their prints...they weren't too happy about that."

"Oh, Kagome. You sure you're not just being picky?"

"Maybe a little. But if I'm going to do something then I want to do something I like. I just haven't found anything yet."

"Yeah, guess I can't argue with that. You know the softball team's still an option, if you want it!"

"Thanks, Sango, but Michiko still gives me a dirty look whenever she sees me in the hall. I think she's still holding a grudge from when I hit that foul ball right into her face."

Sango winced. "Yeah, that looked painful. So what's your next option?"

Kagome started counting on her fingers. "Well, I've tried the dance team, but that only lasted a day; most of the sports teams aren't really for me, plus they're not having tryouts anymore; the volleyball team asked me to stay, but I think I'm still sore from all that jogging they had me do; pottery was a disaster; I don't need to remind you about the incident with the cooking club; and the chess club wouldn't even let me in the door. They said I didn't look 'strategic enough'."

"Those stingy nerds."

"So excluding all the Math and science clubs that leaves only a handful of clubs that are plausible, one of which is the archery club."

"And that would defeat the whole purpose of doing this."

They both sighed.

Then Sango straightened, slapping a hand down on Kagome's shoulder. "All right, then the only thing left to do is to try all of those clubs! And not so wishy washy this time, Kagome, put some 'umph' into it! This was your idea, after all."

It was. It had been a few months ago, after one of Kikyo's archery matches that Kagome had gone to with her family. Inuyasha had been there, and after some hemming and hawing on his part Kagome and her mother had managed to force him to sit with them. Kikyo had been amazing, of course, and Kagome had watched along with the others as the judges shook her sister's hand when she won the tournament. It was then that for the first time Kagome had felt a small twinge of something she never had before. Kikyo had and did so much. Kagome didn't want to take what was Kikyo's, and she was sure she couldn't do it as well as her sister, anyway. She wanted to find something that was her own, something that she could accomplish, something that would set her apart from her sister. But what?

She had expressed this to Sango and the others, who all eagerly decided the only way to find out was to try _everything_. Thus had begun the talent hunt among the clubs. So far all she had to show for it was a string of clubs she wasn't interested in, and unfortunately she was running out of new ones to try. But she wasn't done yet.

"You're right," Kagome said, squaring her shoulders. "I'm Kagome Higurashi, after all, and I've never let anything beat me yet!"

"Right!" Sango grinned. "You'll ace this, just like everything else!"

"Ace?" Kagome blinked at her, then gasped. "The math test! Sorry, Sango, I have to go, I've got fifteen minutes before my English class and I should use them to study!"

"Uh, ok," Sango waved goodbye but Kagome was already turning to leave the stairwell in a hurry. She got a few steps into the hall only to scream when Ayumi came out of nowhere and grabbed her.

"Kagome, there you are!" Ayumi said breathlessly, her uniform slightly disheveled. "Where have you been! Glee club practice started half an hour ago!"

"Er, sorry, Ayumi, I forgot."

"Well, come on, there's still time before class! We're all trying to practice the new Bonjovi piece for the club meet next week!"

"I can't really right now I have to study for—wait, Ayumi!"

But Ayumi had already grabbed Kagome by the hand and was dragging her back into the stairwell and down the stairs, running past Sango who called after them, "That's the spirit, Kagome!"

* * *

Kagome gazed out across the sunny field, enjoying her place in the shade of the high school building. After being dragged away by Ayumi to practice _Born To Be My Baby_, she managed to get back to the fourth floor just in time for her English class to start. After making it through her first three classes, she now sat against the outer wall of the school, eating the lunch Kikyo had made her. Ayumi sat next to her, pushing her curly hair out of her face as she ate her own lunch and flipped through her math notes. Kagome was also looking at Ayumi's notes in another attempt at studying, but for the most part she kept getting distracted by anything that wasn't math.

Across the lawn students sat in groups or pairs, enjoying the weather that was the turn of hot summer into a cooler fall. A group of boys, some in uniform, some in t-shirts and jeans, playing soccer on the field. It seemed that it was everyone against Koga, captain of the soccer team, who kept ahead of all of them, his ponytail flying behind him. Kagome watched them with little interest, just glad math had nothing to do with it. At the edge of the soccer field a boy with dark hair caught her eye. He was walking quickly to wherever it was he was going, which Kagome assumed was to where Kikyo was, since it was rare to see Inuyasha without her. Wherever Kikyo went he could usually be seen following after. Kagome thought he looked distracted as he cut across one end of the soccer field, and her suspicions were proven when he didn't notice Koga and the ball headed straight for him. Both boys collided, and Kagome winced as they fell to the ground. It was only seconds before they were both on their feet and in each others faces. If she had been closer, she would have easily heard the insults being thrown around. She became a bit anxious when some shoves started being passed back and forth, but the soccer coach ran over before it got too physical and Inuyasha was sent on his way. Kagome sighed and shook her head. "That Inuyasha."

"Hmm?" Ayumi looked up. "Did you say something?"

"No."

Yuka and Sango approached then, joining her and Ayumi against the wall.

"Did something happen?" Kagome asked as Sango angrily yanked the lid off her bento and began devouring it with vigor.

"Nothing at all," Sango snapped before popping the lid off her juice and downing the whole thing. Kagome and Ayumi watched her toss the empty bottle over her shoulder before they turned to Yuka.

Yuka sighed. "Just that idiot Miroku bothering her again."

Kagome asked, "What did he do this time?"

"He just came up behind her in the cafeteria and gave her this huge hug, you know, like he normally does—"

"The lecher!" Sango interrupted.

"—and went on about how he'd missed her all weekend and when was her next game because he wanted to come watch—"

"_Such _a pervert!"

"—and asked if she was free Saturday because apparently there's this dance club in town that he, and I quote, 'Would love to take Sango to, because she is the kind of beauty that demands to be danced with'. Then he, well, kind of—"

Sango all but shouted, "He _touched_ my _butt_! Totally stroked it! In front of _everyone_!"

Kagome dropped her chopsticks and Ayumi covered her mouth with an, "Oh, my!"

"The nerve of that guy, just who does he think he is, going around harassing women! Honestly!" Sango stuffed a large piece of beef into her mouth and chewed it ferociously, her face red.

"Yikes, what a creep," Kagome said.

"Right?" Yuka agreed, crossing her arms. "No worries, though, our sempai here acted in fine form. She smacked him so hard I think her hand print might be permanently embedded in his face."

"Serves him right," Kagome said, and Sango nodded curtly in agreement. Sango was indeed beautiful—a classic sort of beauty, one that Kagome imagined would have been in Grandpa's old fairytales, with bright eyes and thick chestnut hair. But unlike in Grandpa's stories, Sango was no damsel in distress. She wasn't the best player on the softball team for nothing, and she had grown up doing martial arts with her father at their family dojo. Kagome certainly wouldn't want to be on the opposite end of a hit from her. Miroku, unfortunately for him, was a high school player who loved bothering Sango in the name of "romance" and had yet to take "no" for an answer, even the painful kind of "no".

"Seriously, the moron." Sango said, replacing the lid on her bento.

"Oh, I think you're all too harsh on him," Ayumi said in her sweet voice, clasping her hands together. "I think it's kind of romantic, don't you? He's always trying so hard to get your attention, Sango. He must really care for you."

Sango and the others gave Ayumi a dry look.

"What, you guys don't think so?"

"Seriously, Ayumi?" Sango said.

"Sometimes I worry about you, Ayumi." Kagome added.

Yuka hit her fist to her palm. "Ah, but speaking of poor saps in love, Hojo was asking about you today, Kagome."

"Eh, about me?"

"Yep! He wanted to know if you had a date for the festival yet, but I've got your back, girl, and I told him you were definitely free! He said he was going to ask you to be his date, Kagome."

Ayumi put a delicate hand to her cheek. "Oh, wow, he must really like you, Kagome. The festival's not for a month."

"Oh, come on, I'm sure he just means it as friends." Kagome waved her hand at them. "Besides, I have to help out at the shrine every year, you guys know that."

"I'm sure your family can handle it by themselves!" Yuka said, grabbing Kagome's shoulder in fire-up excitement. "Just tell them the nicest, smartest, cutest guy in our grade asked you out and you can't miss this opportunity!"

"She may be right, Kagome," Sango said, having finally calmed down. "Besides, what's the harm in going on a fun date?"

"Yeah, you're right. But he hasn't even asked yet, so I'll just worry about it if he does." Kagome said, taking another bite of food.

Yuka blinked at her. "Well, you're sure reacting a lot more calmly than I expected. This is Hojo, remember? Your old friend that you've only just been crushing on since all of junior high?"

"Yeah, I remember." Kagome replied casually.

"What is it, Kagome? You don't like him anymore?" Sango asked.

"What!" Yuka exclaimed. "Don't tell me you've gotten over him? What horrible timing! Everyone's just been waiting for you two to get together for ages! We thought for sure it'd happen when we got to high school! And when you two were all cozy at the Christmas party last year we thought it was all moving along so nicely!"

"Cozy? You think so? We just did some karaoke together, is all."

"Poor sap just took too long, I guess," Sango shook her head in sympathy.

"No, it's not like that! I mean, it's not that I wouldn't go out with him, it's just—"

Ayumi cut in, "It must be because you like someone else, right, Kagome?"

Kagome jumped and Yuka gasped, "What? You like someone else? Why haven't you told us, Kagome?"

"No, I never said that!" Kagome retorted.

"Well, you didn't have to," Sango said. "It's written all over your face."

"Eh!" Kagome put her hands to her betraying face.

"It's true! Come on, Kagome, who is it?" Yuka demanded.

"You can tell us, Kagome, really," Ayumi added, gently but eagerly, "Is he in one of your classes? Do we know him?"

"There is someone else, right, Kagome?" Sango said. "You've been a little spacey lately, haven't you?"

Kagome put her hands up in defense. "Come on, can't I stop liking one guy without automatically having to like someone else? Really! There's no one else! Besides, he's a stupid jerk, anyway, so there's no _way _I'd want to date him, and he's...not available."

"So there _is _someone!" Yuka said.

"I didn't say that!"

"You just did!"

"Oh, how romantic," Ayumi sighed dreamily, "Forbidden love."

"There's nothing forbidden about it, it just doesn't exist!" Kagome slammed her lid on her lunch and stood up. "I'm done, how about the rest of you? Besides, where's Eri? I'm going to go find her." She stood up and stalked a few meters away to the garbage can to throw away her trash. She could still feel the heat on her face, and wished that she wouldn't blush so easily.

She didn't like him. He was a total jerk. And an idiot. And he never even called her by her name. And it's not like she talked to him all that often, really, and even then they ended up bickering. He didn't seem to talk to a lot of people, actually. He was kind of a loner. Probably because he had such a rotten attitude, the jerk. He loved picking fights with anyone and everyone. She'd heard it had something to do with his family, but she didn't know much and her sister didn't tell her much, either. She wondered if it really was because of his family. Sometimes, when he thought no one was looking, she saw him look up at the sky with an expression that made her heart sad. She remembered him looking tired and stressed that morning and she felt worried. Maybe he did have a hard life. Maybe that was why he was such a jerk. Well, he wasn't _such_ a jerk. He was never mean to Kikyo. And once he had given Kagome his jacket when he'd run into her in town and it was raining. He probably didn't even remember that. If he did, he'd probably just thought he was helping "Jr.", Kikyo's little sister. He didn't know how she had carefully washed the jacket and gotten to school early, even before Kikyo, to put it on his desk with a small "Thank you" note so no one knew. If he did know, he'd never said. He was such a jerk.

"Kagome?"

Kagome jumped, not noticing that Sango had come up beside her. "Sango! What is it?"

"You all right, Kagome? You were staring into the garbage can with a really serious face."

"Yeah, I'm alright, no problems here!" She chuckled. "I just suddenly remembered that I've got that Algebra test and I guess I must have panicked. Haha..."

"If you say so." Sango threw her trash away and dusted her hands off. "Kagome."

"Hmm?"

"Is it Inuyasha?"

Kagome just looked at her. Sango looked back steadily, her brown eyes unwavering but unjudging.

Kagome smiled. "No, of course not. That hot headed idiot? He's not really my type. Besides, he's Kikyo's."

"That's what worries me."

Kagome didn't feel the need to say anything more, and neither did Sango. They just looked at each other, a silent understanding passing between them, and after a minute Kagome turned away and smiled. "Weren't we going to go find Eri?"

Sango smiled as well, putting a comforting arm around Kagome's shoulders as they left the garbage can. "I believe we were." They went a few steps, just appreciating the presence of each other, when Sango whispered quietly, "Kagome, don't look just yet, but there's a man standing at the wall over there."

Kagome raised her eyebrows at Sango's suddenly serious tone. Slowly she looked over her shoulder at the wall around the school. It was nearly fifty yards away, past the soccer field, but she could still see the figure of a man standing outside the wall. The wall only came up to his chest, so she could see he was wearing something dark that might have been a suit, and had shoulder length dark hair. She was too far to see his face, but his eyes were dark so she thought he must be in sunglasses. She turned back to Sango and although he was too far to overhear she whispered back, "What about him?"

"Do you know him?"

"I don't think so. Why? Do you?"

Sango shook her head. "But he's been watching you for the last little while."

"What? Me?" She peeked over her shoulder again. He was angled in their direction, that was true, but he could have been looking at anyone. "What makes you say that?"

"I spotted him earlier. He's just been standing over there for a while. But when you got up to go to the garbage can, he definitely looked like he was watching you." It was just like Sango to notice that kind of thing—she was always very perceptive of everything.

Kagome was curious of the man, but was sure Sango was being paranoid. "Come on, that's probably not true. He's probably on the school board or something, and is just out here inspecting the school."

But before either of the girls could look over their shoulders again to see if he was still watching, Eri pounced on them from the side, making them both jump and cry out.

"There, _wheez,_ you are, _huff_, what are you, _huff_, doing?" Eri said, resting her hands on her knees as she caught her breath.

"Oh, Eri, there you are!" Kagome said. "I thought we all agreed to study for the test during lunch. What have you been up to?"

"I've been doing what _you're_ supposed to have been doing!" She said pointedly at Kagome.

"Eh? What's that—"

"Did you _forget_ that the drama club has their preliminary competition this week? And _you_ said you wanted to be a part of it?"

"Oh, heh, did I say that? But the test—" She didn't get to finish as Eri grabbed her by the arm and took off towards the school, Kagome stumbling behind her.

Sango watched them go before looking back at the man behind the wall. He had turned slightly, in the direction where Kagome and Eri were disappearing into the school.

* * *

Lunch ended with Kagome in the drama club room, wearing a hat with antlers on it and standing on a chair while the other members chanted in a circle around her until the evil demon king showed up in a black cape made from a bed sheet and broke up the party. Afterwards Kagome and Eri rushed to class, taking their seats just as their Math teacher was straightening the test papers on his desk in preparation of passing them out.

Kagome persevered through the test, glad to know that she actually did remember something from what Kikyo had taught her last night. She ran out of time at the end and had to guess on the last three questions, but even so she felt like she would probably pass. She was so relieved she dozed off during her next class, and Hojo, who sat next to her, just let her be, taking extra notes for her. After class he had given her the notes and asked with an adorable nervous blush if Kagome would spend the festival with him. With a smile Kagome had told him she'd do her best to make it. The next couple classes passed uneventfully, and school ended to the joy of the student body. Kagome herself was packing her school bag to go when Eri appeared again, asking if Kagome could stay for another quick practice. With a sigh she had agreed, and after another couple rounds of antler girl on a chair, Kagome was finally set free. She left the drama room and wandered back towards her homeroom class to fetch her bag. The halls were mostly empty, except for a few students going home late and a teacher or two. Looking out the windows Kagome could see the sports teams on the field wrapping up their own practices. In one corner of the school compound was the baseball diamond, where Sango and Yuka would be finishing up and heading home. On the other side of the school, Kikyo would be done with the other archers. If Kagome hurried, she'd make it in time to walk home with her and Inuyasha. She didn't hurry.

Kagome slid the door aside to her classroom and entered the empty room. The sun was lower in the late summer sky, and shed soft light into the room and across all the empty desks. Kagome's bag sat in her chair, the only sign that students had occupied the room earlier that day. She headed toward her desk, rubbing her shoulder and saying to herself, "I dunno, I think all these clubs are going to wear me out. I should probably pick one quick." She reached for her bag and paused when she saw a white envelope sitting in the middle of her desk. On the front was neatly written the name "Kikyo Higurashi".

Kagome gave a small groan of pity. No doubt it was a love letter of some kind. The poor sap had no idea that he had confused the younger sister for the elder. She shouldered her bag and picked up the envelope, leaving the classroom for the hall once again.

As she walked down the stairs to the first floor she examined the letter, as if the handwriting would somehow give away the suitor. It wasn't the first time Kagome had received such a letter, and she would always pass them on to Kikyo who would read them and then kindly reject whoever it was from. Kagome had never read them, but sometimes she wondered what they said. What did people write in love letters? Did they go on and on about Kikyo's beauty and accomplishments? How they admired her from afar? Or did they actually know her, maybe were friends with her, and thought they could be a better boyfriend than her current one?

Kagome chuckled to herself as she reached the first floor and continued toward the front doors. It was true, Kikyo and Inuyasha were certainly not the conventional couple—Kikyo was the admired and intelligent beauty of the school, quiet and demure; Inuyasha was the washed up loner with a fuse shorter and more dangerous than a stick of dynamite. They seemed for all the world like a teenage drama TV show. But Kagome thought that they must work out in their own way. Which way that was, she wasn't sure—neither of them talked to her much about how their relationship worked. Still, Kagome thought it must be a beautiful thing to find someone who cared for you so much.

"Oh, speak of the devils." Just as Kagome was exiting the school's front doors, she saw ahead of her Kikyo and Inuyasha. She slowed her steps, debating whether or not to catch up to them. But as she neared she noticed that the two of them weren't walking but were deep in a conversation. Her steps slowed even more until she came to a stop, watching the two go back and forth. It seemed...heated. Inuyasha was visibly upset, his hands in fists, his shoulders tense as he looked down at the girl in front of him. Kikyo stood tall and poised, as always, holding her school bag in front of her like a lady. But even she seemed less settled than usual, her jaw set and eyebrows furrowed as she spoke in between Inuyasha's louder voice.

Were they fighting? Kagome had never seen them fight. She'd assumed that Kikyo was the one person Inuyasha _never_ fought with. What could they possibly be fighting about?

Kagome shifted uncomfortably, not sure what to do. Then she suddenly had the fear that they would turn and see her, and that just seemed way too awkward, so instead she turned and hurried back into the school. She walked through to the opposite side and exited there, headed toward the South gate instead. It was a little bit longer home this way, but only by a couple blocks, and with her bike it wouldn't be too bad. Then she remembered her bike was still locked up on the North side and smacked herself in the forehead. She didn't dare go back for it, though.

What had they been fighting about? Even the best of couples fought sometimes, so Kagome assumed it was nothing too serious. Still, though, she was curious. Perhaps they'd both just had a bad day—she thought back to Inuyasha's weary face that morning, and his quarrel with Koga at lunch. No doubt he was just uptight and had probably snapped at Kikyo, and Kikyo, despite her calmness, wasn't one to back down easily. They'd probably hash it out together and forgive each other all before they even got home.

As Kagome left the school compound and headed around the block, she remembered the letter in her hand. She looked at it, wondering if perhaps giving it to Kikyo wasn't the best idea. Why should Kikyo have to bother with it? She had to do the rejecting all the time. And Inuyasha didn't need the extra stress, either.

Kagome flipped it over and began opening it. Well, the least she could do for them was figure out who the letter was from. Then maybe tomorrow she could find the poor guy and give it back to him, explaining the misunderstanding of putting it on the wrong desk, and telling him politely that Kikyo was unavailable so would he kindly back-off. She began reading, a thrill of curiosity going through her at the thought of discovering what went on in love letters. The thrill, however, slowly began to ebb to confusion, and then a creeping feeling of dread crawled up Kagome's spine and made her stomach churn.

This was no love letter. This was a threat.

* * *

A/N: La. Chapter one. Thanks for your time. Leeeeeeave comments. :)


	2. Beauty and the Beast

A/N: And round two. Ding ding.

* * *

Beauty and the Beast

April

After checking that the street was empty, Inuyasha sat on the curb. Wincing slightly at his bruised ribs he wiped a spot of blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked down at the smear with a sardonic smirk.

"Figures," He said. That's what he got for letting himself get goaded into fighting a couple of obnoxious guys on the street—three against one weren't great odds, and he was spitting more blood than the three of them combined to prove it. It wasn't the first time he'd run into them, that Bankotsu guy, or whatever, and a couple of his lackeys. They were always looking for a fight, and Inuyasha never failed to comply. Besides, he hadn't been in a good fight in a while—usually he was with Kikyo instead. She'd be mad when she saw him. He knew exactly what the look on her face would be: a half-lidded look, a mixture of disappointment and disapproval. She wouldn't say anything, she'd just give him that look, and it would both irritate him and make him feel guilty as heck.

He leaned back on his hands, flinching again at the pain in his ribs, and looked up at the blue spring sky. He wasn't in the mood to go home. Usually Sesshomaru wasn't home at this time, but on the off chance he was Inuyasha wanted to avoid him. His brother hardly spoke to him, but if he saw Inuyasha bruised up he'd give him his cool, contemptuous stare, as if to say, "Too bad they didn't finish the job." Just thinking about it ticked Inuyasha off enough that he was too distracted to hear the bike whizzing around the corner toward him.

"Ah! Look out!"

The breaks screeched loudly and he turned just in time to come face to face with the front wheel. Both Inuyasha and the rider went sprawling across the asphalt, the bike landing over Inuyasha.

Inuyasha groaned, pushing the bike off and sitting up. "What the _heck_ were you doing?" He complained, rubbing his head and looking around for the rider. When he saw her sitting up a couple feet away his breathed hitched. "Kikyo?" Dang it, was she hurt?

She turned and looked at him and he blinked. She said, "Oh, it's you. Inuyasha."

It wasn't Kikyo. He should have known it wasn't, but the little sister did look a lot like her if you weren't looking at her straight on. She got to her feet, dusting herself off with an, "Ouch!"

He stood as well, frowning at her. "What were you doing? Trying to kill us both?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you," Kagome said, then suddenly gasped. "You're hurt!"

"Huh?"

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Look, you're bleeding!"

"Oh. No, this isn't from you."

But she wasn't listening. She had picked up her backpack and was rummaging through it. She pulled out a little box after a second. "Ah-ha, here it is! Lucky for you I always carry around my first aid kit. Come here."

"Tsk. No thanks, I'm fine." He turned to leave.

"Hey, hold on a sec! You can't just walk away!"

"Watch me."

"Hold it, you," She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back.

"Hey, what the heck, I don't want your help, you—!" He stopped to wince at the sting of pain in his ribs.

"See! You are hurt!"

"I'm fine!" He snapped, holding his side.

"Will you quit it with the tough guy thing, you're not fooling anyone!" She yanked on him hard and he found himself sitting on the curb again, staring up at her in disbelief. "Sit." She commanded, a finger in his face. Then she knelt in front of him and popped the kit open, shuffling around in it.

"Ok, give me your arm," She said and he glared at her. "Come on, do you want to get this over with or not?"

"Tsk," He rolled his eyes and held out his arm.

She smiled. "Good boy."

He watched her down the length of his nose as she wiped the blood off a scratch with a cloth. It was definitely a scratch from asphalt, although whether he'd gotten it when she'd run him over or when Bankotsu had knocked him to the ground, he didn't really remember.

This was only the second time he'd talked to her, the first time being just a couple weeks ago when Kikyo had introduced them at school. He'd seen her in the hall at school before, and he'd been surprised by her resemblance to her older sister—they had the same black hair, the same brown eyes, the same nose and mouth. But after meeting her he had been even more surprised at how different they were. Kikyo was reserved and quiet, poised and practical, and her sister, well, wasn't. Like now, for example—Inuyasha was horribly uncomfortable, aware of Kagome sitting close, holding his arm, bumping his knee, touching his shoulder. It was probably the most anyone had touched him in years, excluding times when he was getting the crap beat out of him.

"Hey," He said.

"Kagome."

"What?"

"That's my name."

"Whatever. Aren't you in a hurry?"

She glanced up at him but didn't pause in unwrapping a bandaid. "What do you mean?"

"You were going pretty fast. Don't you need to be somewhere?"

She smiled. "Ah, I just told my grandpa I'd help him set up a new sign at our shrine now that it's spring, but I had to stay after school to finish some homework. It's not a big deal if I'm held up a couple more minutes. Thanks for worrying, though." She moved on to a smaller cut on his wrist, dabbing some ointment on it.

"I'm not worried, I'm just trying to get rid of you."

"Oh, ha ha, you're very funny."

"Who said I was being funny?"

"What about you? I hear you usually wait for Kikyo at practice, but she had that match today on the other side of town. So what have you been up to?"

He shrugged. "Nothing."

"Sounds exciting. Hold still," She leaned toward him, lifting her cloth to his bloody lip, but he quickly leaned away and snatched it from her.

"I'll do it."

"Ok, then. But do it with your other hand and give me that one." She ignored his narrow-eyed look and held out her hand. "Come on, chop, chop."

He switched the cloth to his other hand and gave her the free one. He wiped at the drying blood on his lip in annoyance, but stopped when he noticed Kagome had. She was holding his hand gently in both of hers and looking down at it. She ran her thumb over his knuckles which were beginning to turn purple with bruises.

"What's your problem?" He said.

"Ah, oh, nothing," She gave him another quick smile and reached for the ointment. Inuyasha continued wiping at his face as she carefully rubbed the gel into the back of his hand. "Did they hurt you badly?" She asked quietly.

"Heh?"

"Whoever you were fighting. Are you hurt badly?"

He pulled his hand away, dropping her cloth back into her kit. He stood up, saying, "Look, I'm fine. I don't need your pity or your reprimands."

She rolled her eyes and closed her first aid kit, standing up as well. "Fine. Well, just be more careful, ok? You shouldn't be getting in fights."

He snorted. "No one asked you."

She frowned up at him but walked toward her bike that lay a few feet away. "Don't be so snippy! I'm just saying, you shouldn't get in trouble like that! You'll worry people."

"Yeah, right, like who?"

She scoffed. "Like my sister, you dimwit! Or your family! Or me! Plenty of people!"

"Why the heck should you care?"

"Why the heck shouldn't I care?"

"Because you don't even know me, stupid, that's why!"

"Well, too bad, because you're dating my sister now, which means you're stuck with me! So I'm forcing my friendship on you, whether you want it or not, you got that?"

He looked at her strangely as she mounted her bike. "Well, that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

She glared at him. "Well, that's just too bad for you! You have no choice, you big jerk!"

He was about to retort when something caught his eye and he did a double take. Kagome's foot was poised on the bike pedal, and her knee was exposed just beneath her skirt.

Kagome leaned toward him, eyes narrowed. "What are you looking at, pervert?"

"What, I wasn't—you're _bleeding_, you idiot."

"Hmm?" Kagome looked at the scrape on her knee. "Oh, yeah."

"You didn't notice?"

She looked down at it, wincing as she wiped a bit of blood away. "Well, now that I think about it, I guess it did sting a bit earlier after I crashed."

Inuyasha just stared at her. She had been kneeling on the street for several minutes, and she hadn't noticed? That all the while she was bandaging him up she had been bleeding too? "I don't know if you're the weirdest or just the dumbest person I have ever met."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Well, same goes for you!" Then she pushed off and started pedaling away. She shouted back, "Stay out of trouble, you hear me?" And then she was zipping down the street and around the corner.

Inuyasha watched her go, then shook his head in confusion. Weird girl. He didn't know how she could be related to Kikyo—Kikyo made sense. Kagome definitely didn't. He turned and headed down the street, not certain where he was going but deciding it was safer than risking being run over by any more teenage girls. He glanced down at the bandaid on his arm and the glisten of ointment over his knuckles and again shook his head. "Tsk. Insane woman." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and with an annoyed grunt he turned down a street that led home. Might as well stay out of trouble the rest of the day.

::::

* * *

August

After reading the letter, Kagome had read it again, then again, just to make sure. She had to be mistaken—she might just be jumping to conclusions, or misreading. But there was no doubt about it, it was definitely threatening Kikyo. It was in a weird passive way, though, which almost made it creepier. The letter was short, only two paragraphs, saying,

"_The flowers are beginning to fade around your house, I've noticed. How quickly they seem to go, don't you agree? I would hate to see them unable to bloom next year, but I know you will do what you can to make sure they do._

_ "So, my dear, I hope you've considered my offer more carefully. I've yet to receive an answer from you, but I expect it to come soon. I won't waste your time and mine with threats—you already know them well enough. Don't make me wait too long, love. That would be unwise._"

What offer? What kind of threats? Was this some dork just being creepy, or was this really a problem? The letter was only signed, "_O_." O? Who was O? They wouldn't have signed it with just an initial unless they knew for sure that Kikyo would know who it was from.

Kagome had made it home, but hadn't gone in yet. She sat on the shrine steps, out of view in case her family should look out any windows. Kikyo had gotten home safe, she knew that much. She had rushed home, and had made it in time to see from afar Inuyasha descending the steps angrily and heading down the street. She guessed they hadn't quite gotten over their quarrel yet. She wondered if Inuyasha knew who O was. She hoped so—somehow thinking that Inuyasha was in-the-know made Kagome feel more sure about the safety of her sister. Inuyasha wouldn't let anything happen to Kikyo, if he could help it.

Now Kagome just had to decide what to do now. She had to talk to Kikyo, because the curiosity alone would kill her, not to mention the worry. How did she bring it up, though? Kagome had no idea how long whatever this was had been going on, but Kikyo obviously hadn't disclosed the information. At least not to Kagome. Did their mom know? If yes, maybe the situation was under control, maybe they had whatever authorities involved, the school or the police or someone. If not, then Kikyo probably didn't want Kagome barging in and announcing to everyone that Kikyo was in some kind of trouble, bullying or stalking or something. The best thing to do, Kagome concluded, was to just act natural and get Kikyo alone.

After fifteen minutes of sitting on the stairs, Kagome took a deep breath and stood up. "Right! Here we go!" She carefully folded the letter and put it in her pocket, then ascended the stairs to her house.

Her family was gathered in the kitchen when she came in, chatting excitedly back and forth.

"Ah, Kagome, there you are," Asako said. "You're home later than usual."

"Yeah, just got caught up helping Eri with some stuff." She put her bag on the counter, trying not to stare at Kikyo, who sat by their mother.

"Kagome!" Sota exclaimed, "Did _you_ know that Kikyo is leaving?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"All right, at least I wasn't the only one left out of the loop," Sota said, crossing his arms.

Kikyo gave him a small smile. "I didn't mean to leave anyone out of the loop, Sota. It was a rather last minute decision, so don't feel bad."

Kagome's head started spinning. What were they saying? Kikyo was leaving? Where? Why? Did this have something to do with who had written the letter?

Kagome sat slowly in the seat next to her grandfather, her eyes focused on Kikyo. Kikyo was politely listening to Grandpa as he explained the lucky keychains he had on the table in front of him, telling her which one was for safe travel, which for good dreams, which was to keep evil spirits away. Kagome watched Kikyo's face, but it gave nothing away. It was merely serene, without even the remnants of frustration that she must have felt during her fight with Inuyasha.

"Where are you going?" Kagome said, cutting off Grandpa.

Kikyo turned to her. "Do you remember the scholarship I was offered by the University of Kotsui for their high school program for third years?"

Kagome nodded, vaguely remembered hearing something about it—a program where the elitest of the elite go to a boarding school sponsored by the university and basically cram for six months before the university entrance exams. Not that they need the cramming, because if they were so lucky as to be let into the program at all they were practically guaranteed entrance to any university and a glowing, successful future.

Kikyo continued, "Well, before I wasn't going to take it, and was going to keep up my studies here and not have to leave home. But I've been thinking recently and I've decided to accept it. It's short notice, but I called them yesterday and they said they would still let me participate."

"Of course they will!" Sota said. "You're not a genius for nothing, sis."

"Thank you, Sota, but I'm hardly a genius. It takes a lot of hard work."

Asako put a hand to her cheek. "I'm just concerned that it's all so sudden. Do you really think you can be ready to go by tonight?"

"What?" Kagome said, her head snapping in the direction of her mother. "Tonight?"

"Yes," Kikyo said. "The program started today. I'll want to be there by tomorrow, so tonight I'll have to catch the last train heading to Aomori. I hope to make it by morning so I can ferry over to Hokkaido first thing."

Kagome just gawked at her.

"Ah, Hokkaido, the mountainous northern island. A noble country, rich with history." Grandpa stroked his beard, then suddenly sat straight up. "Do you think we can come visit you in Sapporo? We could visit the breweries and hot springs, don't you think, Asako?"

"Ooh, that does sound fun." Asako agreed.

"I won't be directly in Sapporo," Kikyo corrected. "The university has a campus about an hour outside of town. There's a small hospital there, too, so I'll be able to work there and gain some experience."

"Do you think you'll go skiing, Kikyo?" Sota asked. "My friend Tsukushi is from Sapporo, and he says the mountains there are the best in the world for skiing."

"I'm not sure, Sota. I don't know how much free time we'll have—I won't even be able to call home that often. I'm not even supposed to bring my cell phone. They have rules for everything."

"Are you sure you have enough money for the trip, Kikyo?" Asako asked.

"Yes, I have some saved."

"Oh, good. And I suppose we'll look at the budget for a bit of an allowance we can send to you once a month or so."

"That's not necessary, mother, you don't have to."

"Nonsense, you'll need some spending money. A girl can't go away without a little bit of money, now, can she?"

"Yeah, and bring us back some souvenirs," Sota said. "Whatever you get Inuyasha, get me one, too."

"I'll see what I can do—"

Everyone stopped when Kagome suddenly stood, slamming her hands on the table. "What are you all talking about? This is no time for that kind of talk! Kikyo's in a hurry!" This was insanity, but at the moment Kagome just needed to talk to Kikyo to figure out what was really happening.

"You're absolutely right, Kagome," Asako said, standing up. "We've all got to help her get ready. I'll go call a taxi to be ready for tonight. Then I'll bring the laundry in to make sure you have everything. Oh, and I should pull out that lemon cake from the other night—we should all eat it together before you go, Kikyo."

Grandpa stood, using the table to push himself up. "I'll go and fetch the suitcases from the storage room. Sota, Kagome, come and help me."

Sota jumped up to rush ahead of Grandpa, but Kagome looped her arm through Kikyo's, saying, "Uh, I think I'll go upstairs with Kikyo and help her start packing up."

"All right, then," Grandpa said and left.

Kagome grinned at Kikyo who smiled back at her before she turned and led the way up the stairs.

In Kikyo's room it looked as though Kikyo had already started getting ready to go. Clothes were on her bed folded in neat stacks, and the desk had been cleared away of any signs of life. Some of the pictures of their family had been taken down and sat on the edge of the bed, and that's where Kikyo went, sorting through them.

"I have most of it done," Kikyo was saying, "If you could just bring those books from the shelf over, then we can go through them."

For a moment Kagome just stood in the doorway and looked around the room, struck suddenly by memories. They used to share this room, back when they had first moved in, just after their father had died. They hadn't needed to share, but they hadn't been ready to be separated. There was a time when they were always together—their father used to joke that Kagome had followed Kikyo into the world because she couldn't wait to be with her. They were only a year and three months apart, after all, much to the surprise of their parents. It wasn't until sometime around junior high that they had started spending less time together. Kikyo had become extremely focused on her studies and increasingly active in school activities, and Kagome had begun making her own friends. Even then, it had happened more than once that Kagome had slipped into Kikyo's room at night and they would talk about this or that until they fell asleep.

Kagome wondered when they had stopped telling each other things.

She turned and shut the door before pulling the letter out of her pocket. "Kikyo, does your leaving have anything to do with this?"

Kikyo paused, a picture in her hand of Sota and Buyo when both were very small. She looked at the letter quizzically as Kagome held it towards her. "What is it?"

"It's for you. Someone left it on my desk."

Kikyo set down the picture frame and took the letter from Kagome, glancing it over curiously. Her face darkened and she looked at Kagome. "This was on your desk?"

Kagome nodded.

"Are you ok? Did you see who left it? They didn't talk to you or hurt you, did they?"

"What? No. Would they have?"

Kikyo sat on her bed with a sigh. "I don't know. I don't think so." She folded the paper and put it in her pocket. "Yes, this is partly why I'm leaving."

Kagome joined her on the bed. "Kikyo, who's it from? Are they bothering you? They haven't hurt _you _have they?"

Kikyo shook her head. "No, he won't hurt me. Although I have been worried he might stoop so low as to try to do something to those around me."

Kagome took hold of Kikyo's sleeve, holding it tightly. "Don't try to hide this from me, Kikyo. Tell me what's going on. Are you being bullied?"

To Kagome's surprised, Kikyo let out a laugh. "Bullied? I suppose, in a sense, if you want to call it that. It's a little different, however."

"All right, so what is it? Tell me."

Kikyo began shaking her head. "It doesn't concern you. I have it under control—"

"It does concern me! You're my sister! And it was on _my_ desk, remember? So whether by accident or not I'm involved. What if they mistake me for you again? I need to know."

Kikyo gave her a long look before sighing again. She looked down at the rug on her floor, the patterns of red and white swirling around. "Do you remember last fall when I participated in that project with Hand to Hand at the prison?" Kagome nodded. "We were assigned inmates, do you remember? I was assigned to a man named Onigumo. He took an...unhealthy liking to me."

Kagome didn't really want to know what that meant. "And he's the one that wrote that letter? Is he out of prison, then?"

Kikyo nodded. "We were in the rehabilitation ward—the inmates there were nearing the end of their sentences and we were supposed to be helping them re-socialize. They were supposed to be the pride of the prison, proof that their programs worked, and several of them were. Onigumo was different. He was in that ward because he had lied to get there. They told me he was a model citizen, and at first that's how he seemed, but when you looked him in the eyes...I never liked those eyes." Kikyo stared at the wall opposite her as though she were seeing through it to a dark memory.

Kagome touched Kikyo's hand to bring her back to what was happening in the room. "So he's out now? And he's been coming after you?"

"In a sense. But it's more as though he's trying to get me to come to him. He always wants to have the upper hand. With men like him, everything is about the power." Her lips curled into a cold smile. "But he will not get the best of me." Then Kikyo pushed off the bed. "That is why I'm going away for a while. It will be incredibly more difficult for him to contact and bother me if I am in the Kotsui program. There will be no way for him to reach me there. And then he will not be able to use anyone I care about against me, either, because I will be separated from all of you as well. You will all be safe. Besides, the Kotsui program will be a great opportunity. I will be able to hurry along my schooling immensely, and the quicker I can do that and begin to become successful, the more power will be in my hands. There will be nothing Onigumo can do to get to me."

"Are you sure, Kikyo?" Kagome asked, looking up at her sister with knit eyebrows. "Are you sure it will be that easy?"

Kikyo smiled then and took Kagome's hand. "Yes. There is nothing to worry about. Onigumo is indeed dark, but I don't think he's as powerful as he thinks he is. He was incarcerated for several episodes of theft, nothing more. He may be obsessive and power hungry, but in the end he has no way to carry out his threats. And he is being very closely watched by his parol officers, that much I know. He is a creepy and a vile man, but that is the extent of him."

"If you say so." Kagome hesitantly smiled back. Then she asked, "Have you reported this to the police? And what about mom, does she know?"

Kikyo let go of Kagome's hand and turned back to the photographs on her bed. "I've sent a letter to Onigumo's parol officer, who assured me they would keep an eye on him. And, no, I haven't told mom. I didn't want to worry her for no reason."

It was certainly not for "no reason". But that was so like Kikyo—trying to take on the world without help from anyone else. She saw everything like a math problem: everything was predictable, everything had a solution, once you knew how to find it.

"Well, I don't see why you have to leave, then. Can't the police just look out for you while you stay here?"

Kikyo shook her head. "If we make it too obvious that we're trying to catch him, he'll go into hiding, and then it may be impossible. Better to let the correct authorities know, and then watch him very, very closely. Besides, the Kotsui program really is an incredible opportunity."

Kagome stood with an exhale and leaned over the pile of pictures. Kikyo had taken many of them out of their frames, ones of their family and their father and Sota when he was young. The rest she left in frames, probably to be put in a box for when she returned home. Kikyo stepped away for a moment and Kagome took the opportunity to flip through the pictures left on the bed until she found the one she was looking for. She lifted it gently and smiled at it. It was a picture Kagome had taken at a carnival earlier in the summer. She was rather proud of it actually—in it she had caught Inuyasha off guard, looking over his shoulder at her with a small half-smirk on his face that almost looked like a smile. She'd taken it just in time, because right after he'd spun on her with a scowl and tried to take the camera away. She'd framed the picture later and given it to Kikyo, who had promised not to let Inuyasha see it, otherwise he'd take it away. Not that there was any real danger of that, since Inuyasha had yet to set foot in the Higurashi house, despite months of dating Kikyo.

Kagome flipped the picture frame over and opened the back, saying, "Have you told Inuyasha why you're going?" She handed the photograph to Kikyo.

Kikyo took it and looked at it. Kagome watched Kikyo's expression soften as she held the picture carefully. "No. I didn't want to worry him. Sometimes he's a little brash and I didn't want him doing anything unnecessary."

"I'll bet he was upset when you told him you were leaving so soon." She didn't have to bet, she had seen it first hand. "Doesn't he deserve a better explanation than that you just decided to up and go? I think he'll miss you a lot, you know."

"Yes. And I'll miss him." She drew her finger along the picture before snapping out of it and adding it to the pile she was planning on packing. "But he will be safer here, away from me. Onigumo would certainly make him a target. Besides, Inuyasha will be all right—he knows I want to be a doctor, and he supports me. I wish he didn't get so upset about things, though. I'll be back in just a few months." She moved over to the bookshelf, pulling the books from their places.

"Well, can you blame him for being upset? He cares about you a lot, Kikyo, and I'm sure he's just going to be sad without you. But don't worry—even with all his faults and obnoxious traits he is very loyal."

Kikyo rolled her eyes. "You always have to pick on him, don't you?"

"Only because he usually starts it! Really, Kikyo, you know he's an idiot." Kagome crossed her arms and nodded in agreement with herself.

Kikyo smiled, lowering the book she was holding so she could put a hand on Kagome's shoulder and give her a quick kiss on the forehead. "You know who else I'm going to miss?"

Kagome wrapped her arms around her older sister tightly. "Be careful, Kikyo. And no more secrets—I want you to tell me things. You trust me, right?"

"Yes," Kikyo said, hugging her back. "But please, Kagome, don't tell anyone about Onigumo or any of this."

"I won't." At least so long as it wasn't necessary. If anything did happen there'd be no stopping Kagome from demanding a full-on military escort for Kikyo to come home safe and sound.

The pounding of feet up the stairs caught their attention and they pulled apart as Sota burst into the room, breathing heavily. In his hand was an old boxy suitcase, which he dropped loudly on the ground. "Ugh, Kagome, you shouldn't have left me! I got stuck because Grandpa found some smelly, dried up old claws in a jar and had to tell me all about how they were preserved demon bits used in ceremonies."

"Demon bits in our storage space?" Kagome said, "What else is new?"

"Gross, right? But, nah, I'm pretty sure they were just dried up old frog legs."

"Ew, that's even more gross."

Kikyo chuckled. "I'll miss you all."

That got Sota a little choked up, and the poor kid wiped his eyes and quickly went back down to get the other suitcases before Kagome could tease him about boys crying.

The few hours before the taxi arrived passed quicker than anyone was expecting. The car was already sitting at the bottom of the shrine steps when the family was giving a last ditch effort to fit Kikyo's clothes and school supplies into suitcases. Then they all helped her down the shrine steps, hugging her tightly one by one, her mom sticking some extra money and a slice of cake wrapped in plastic into Kikyo's pockets. They loaded her things into the trunk while Kikyo glanced around the dark street.

"He didn't come?" Asako asked.

Kikyo shook her head. "No, and I didn't expect him to. It was very sudden, and I didn't tell him exactly when I'd be leaving, either." She reached into her bag and pulled out an envelope. "Kagome, will you give this to him?"

Kagome took it. "Of course."

"Thank you." Then Kikyo stood with one hand on the open taxi door and surveyed the shrine steps, the street, and her family one last time before sliding into the car. Her mother squeezed her hand one last time and made her promise to call from the station and then the school as soon as she arrived. Then the door shut, and the taxi pulled away.

The Higurashis watched for several minutes after the taxi had turned the corner. Then they turned toward the house, and Asako said they should at the very least go and finish the cake. Kagome made to follow her family when a movement down the street caught her eye. Her heart froze, and she peered through the dark. Was it Onigumo?

No. The figure passed beneath a street light as he walked away, and Kagome recognized the red jacket and long black hair. She let go of the breath she was holding and watched him pass back out of the light and into the dark street, her eyes and heart following after him in sympathy.

* * *

Kagome woke the next morning earlier than usual. She lay in bed for a while, mulling over the previous day in her mind. Sitting up she threw her yellow and pink patterned blankets off of her and stood up by the window. In the courtyard outside her grandfather was standing near the Sacred Tree, the hose in his hand as he watered the flowers at the tree's base. She could hear Sota in the hallway as he padded back and forth from his room to the bathroom. Everything seemed normal. She glanced at her bedside table. Lying neatly beneath her lamp was an envelope, addressed in Kikyo's small and precise handwriting to Inuyasha. Mostly normal.

Kagome left her window and opened the door into the hallway. She passed Sota, who saw her and said in a panic, "I'm not done yet!" before running into the bathroom and shutting the door. Kagome ignored him and went to Kikyo's room. She swung the door open, conscious that it was the first time she had ever opened that door without knocking first. Inside, the room looked bare—the desk was clear, the open closet was empty, the bed had been stripped. Few things were left: knickknacks on top of the dresser, some books on the shelf, empty picture frames on the bedside table. Kikyo's cell phone was the only thing on the desk, plugged in but abandoned. Kagome crossed to the window and peered out. She couldn't see the trees by the archway very well from here, but even if she could she knew that Inuyasha wouldn't be there.

She turned back and sat on the bed, hands between her knees, looking around the room.

How funny that things can appear a certain way one day but can completely change at the drop of a hat. Like Kikyo's room, now that she had gone and taken her clothes and things with her. Like Kikyo's entire life, for that matter. Kagome had once thought it was so perfect, but now she had found a dark blemish that tainted it.

Kagome tried to imagine what Onigumo looked like, sweet talking the prison guards and then watching Kikyo with his unnerving eyes. She made a face of disgust at the empty room in front of her.

Was Onigumo really not that bad of a problem? Just words and no action? Kikyo thought so. She thought being up in the northern mountains, away from life, away from phones and email and people would keep Onigumo away. Kagome hoped she was right.

She sat for several more minutes, the morning light filtering in around her, dust particles sparkling in the air. As she did, an idea started to form in the back of her mind, just a little seed of an idea. She let it float around for a while until it suddenly took root, and before she could fully process what the idea was she jumped off Kikyo's bed and rushed down the stairs.

"Mom!" Kagome said when she reached the kitchen, "Did Kikyo already tell the school about her accepting the Kotsui program?"

Asako raised her eyebrows at her daughter's sudden appearance, pajamas and all. "Um, no, she didn't. She asked me if I would call today and explain everything to them."

"Good! I mean, don't worry about it, mom, I'll just go into the office today and tell them about it."

"Oh. Are you sure Kagome? It's no trouble for me to call."

"No, really, mom, it's ok! I'll do it!"

"All right, thank you. If they have anything they need me to sign or any more questions just tell me, dear, and I'll go in tomorrow."

"Sure thing, mom." Then Kagome turned and bounded back up the stairs. She passed Sota again, who flinched out of her way, saying, "I'm done, I'm done, the bathroom's yours!" Again she ignored him and headed to her room, shutting the door behind her, and stopping directly in front of a small round mirror she kept on her dresser. Her whole life people had confused her with Kikyo—today was the day she was going to finally use that to her advantage.

* * *

A/N: Um, so that happened. Oh, the dramaaaa. Review, darn you people. I mean, darn you beloved people.


	3. Shadow Puppet

A/N: So, la! Two for one, here's chapter 3. Review if you like. :3

* * *

Shadow Puppet

July

Kagome awkwardly shuffled the stack of textbooks she was carrying with a grunt. This was her second trip, since she couldn't carry all the books at once, and her fingers were becoming tired. The halls were practically empty already, with only a few stragglers who were finishing up club business or helping clean out classrooms. Today was the first day of July and the last day of school just before summer vacation. Four blissful weeks of no school before heading back at the beginning of August. And, of course, Kagome was stuck here late, helping her history teacher who had caught her before she'd been able to escape. Ah, well. At least this way she was missing softball practice—Michiko still seemed a little peeved about Kagome accidentally knocking her on the head with a stray ball earlier that week, and Kagome was doing what she could to avoid her. Yuka and Sango had tried to talk her into coming anyway, but she simply told them that the classroom had to be cleaned somehow. Curse her good nature...

She shifted her grip on the books again, feeling the sticky summer air on her skin and wondering if they had already turned off the air conditioning in the building. Outside, the sun glared down on the fields and Kagome was dreading the hot bike ride home when a door in the hall opened and Inuyasha walked out of it.

Her heart constricted a little, which she pretended didn't happen whenever she saw him lately. "Oh, hey, Inuyasha."

"Hey." He let the door swing shut as she stepped toward him. He looked up and down at the stack of books she held then smirked. "What, you get in trouble? Stuck doing the teacher's dirty work, huh?"

"Hardly. I just said I'd help out before leaving."

"That's way less interesting."

"Hmph, I bet you only thought I was in trouble because this has happened to you so many times. How many classrooms have you had to clean out before, hmm?"

"Shut up. So what are those?"

"Old textbooks we don't need for the fall semester."

He picked up a book from the top of her stack and read the title. "'Earth Science: Exploring the Spectacular Third Planet'. Are you taking these to be burned?"

"No, just to the office to be put in storage."

"Shame." He dropped it back on her pile and she adjusted her grip, ignoring how heavy the books were in order to keep talking.

"What are you still doing here?" She asked. Usually by this time he was already hanging around the archery ranges.

"Teacher wanted to talk."

"Why? You failing?"

"Please. I've got straight A's."

She raised her eyebrows. "What, seriously?"

He crossed his arms. "You think I'm that stupid?"

"Eh heh, no, I didn't say that..."

"_Whatever_, little Miss Afraid-she'll-have-to-do-summer-school."

She flushed. "Not summer school! My grades are fine! I was just worried about my math final before the summer, that was all!"

"Sure, Jr., whatever you say."

"I do say!"

"And how did that test go, anyway?" He asked smugly.

She opened her mouth to loudly inform him that she had actually done just _fine_, when the door they were standing in front of opened a second time. Kagome was standing too close and as the door swung towards her she tried to side step, only to find the heavy books she was carrying threw her off balance. As if in slow motion she watched the first few books slide off onto the floor and thought for sure she was going down with the rest of them, when she was suddenly caught. She looked up with wide eyes at Inuyasha, who had caught her with one hand and grabbed the door with the other to keep it from running into her. With a swift movement he put her back on her feet and rounded on the young man who had come from inside, grabbing him by the front of the shirt.

"Watch where you're going, why don't'cha?" Inuyasha snapped. "You nearly ran into her!"

The boy looked up at Inuyasha in alarm, holding his hands up in defense. "Oh, uh, I-I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone was there..."

"No kidding, Sherlock!" He pulled him out of the doorway and shoved him down the hallway. "Watch it next time."

"Y-yes, sorry..." The boy glanced only once at Kagome before he shuffled down the hall and away from Inuyasha.

"Tch, idiot," Inuyasha said in annoyance. Then he bent down to pick up the textbooks that had fallen to the ground.

Kagome watched him gather the books, her eyes still wide. Well, well. Was he on the ground? Picking up books for a girl? She smiled to herself. No one would believe her if she told them this story. He was supposed to be some troubled teen with violent tendencies and a personal vendetta against authority. Well, ok, he was all of that. When Kagome had first met him, he was so obnoxious and quick to anger that she'd wondered how Kikyo was dating him at all. But every once in a while he did something that made Kagome suspect he wasn't as bad-A as everyone believed. Maybe, like Kagome, Kikyo had seen that, too. Or maybe it was because he was with Kikyo that he was changing. Kagome's smile slowly faded.

Inuyasha was straightening the last of the books onto his stack, and she cocked her head at him. He was very handsome—she'd always thought so, although it was a different kind of handsome than other guys. He must have been hot in that uniform; he wasn't wearing his jacket, but he had the long sleeve shirt on with the tie tied tight around his neck. Most of the other boys in school had shed their tie and long sleeves for a shorter-sleeved summer look. His clothes looked funny on him, as if he was out of place in them, and Kagome had seen him pull at his collar more than once the last couple weeks. She could only assume that it was Kikyo's influence. Wearing the school uniform and getting good grades? She doubted he'd cared about those things before. He must really like Kikyo. She wondered if he would ever cut his hair. She hoped he wouldn't.

"Hey."

Kagome blinked, realizing she had been staring. He was standing again, the books in his hands.

"What are you gawking at?"

"Ah, oh, nothing! Sorry." She turned away from him, hoping her face wasn't pink.

"Just spacing out while I do all the work, huh?"

Still avoiding looking into his eyes she held out her stack of books for him to place the others on. "Thank you, Inuyasha."

He paused. "Yeah." Then he dropped his pile on top of hers, only to see her readjust her grip at the added weight. He rolled his eyes. "All right, give me some of those—"

"Kagome!"

Kagome turned to see Hojo jogging down the hall towards her. She suddenly felt anxious at the thought of Inuyasha meeting Hojo and wanted to minimize their interaction as much as possible. She turned so she was standing in front of Inuyasha, facing Hojo full on. "Oh, hey, Hojo. What's up?"

Hojo stopped in front of her, smiling, glancing once at Inuyasha. "Just finishing up some things before heading home. What are you up to?"

She didn't look back at Inuyasha. "Oh, the same."

He blinked at her huge pile of books. "Kagome, you shouldn't be carrying all those books yourself! It's bad for your back. Let me take some."

"No, that's ok—"

But Hojo had already reached forward and taken more than half the stack. He smiled down at her, his dimples showing beneath his hazel eyes. "It's no trouble. Where may I escort you, m'lady?"

"Uh," She peeked at Inuyasha, only to find he wasn't behind her. She looked down the hall and saw him walking away, his back to her. She turned to Hojo. "These just need to go to the office."

"Then we're off!" Hojo started down the hall and Kagome followed him.

She looked up at Hojo's back, wondering at how it bothered her to have him and Inuyasha in the same place. She liked Hojo but wasn't dating him, and even if she was it shouldn't bother her to introduce him to Inuyasha. Inuyasha was only a school mate. A friend. Her sister's boyfriend. Who happened to be really attractive. And whom she wished hadn't just walked away. She looked down at the books in her hands and felt frustrated. Dang it, Inuyasha. It was his fault. With his stupid, beautiful face and being nice to her when no one else was around...what a jerk.

She'd shake this. It was just a phase. She'd get over it by the time the summer was over. It was no big deal. Even now Hojo was asking her what her plans for the summer were. She'd make plans to see Hojo. That would solve her problems.

She made it a few more steps before the urge to look back became overwhelming. Alright, fine, just once. She glanced behind her. Down the hall Inuyasha was still walking away, but for just a second he was turned, looking over his shoulder. Was he looking at her? She couldn't tell. But, then, what else would he be looking back at? It had to be her, right? Then he faced forward again and continued on his way.

::::

* * *

August

This was idiotic. Quite possibly the stupidest thing she had ever done. Really, she had no idea where this idea had come from, or at the very least the thought that she could pull it off. She was turning around. She was going home. She was never trying something this dumb again.

Oh, crap. She'd been spotted.

"Good morning, Kikyo," a third year girl said, "Headed to class?"

Kagome swallowed her panic and said in the best Kikyo-like voice she could muster. "Good morning. Yes, I am."

"All right. I'll see you in third period, then." The girl smiled and moved along in the hallway, not looking back.

Kagome sighed. She stood just inside the front door of the school, watching the students mill about, but had yet to venture forth. Somehow she had felt like staying by the door would still provide her a way of escape, but already there were too many students who had seen her. She wore her uniform but had done her very best to make herself look like Kikyo. She'd pulled her hair back the way Kikyo did, and found some old school shoes that Kikyo had always worn, and instead of wearing her school bag like a backpack, she held it in front of her like Kikyo would. At first Kagome had struggled with her hair—Kikyo's was long and straight as a board, but Kagome's was several inches shorter, with a natural wave from her mother. She had brushed her hair as straight as she could, and if anyone mentioned it she'd just say she had gotten a haircut or was trying something new. There were slight differences in their facial features—Kikyo's jaw was more sharp, Kagome's eyes a lighter brown—but if they used to look alike before, Kagome was now making it almost impossible to tell them apart. And if Kagome could pull off acting enough like Kikyo to pass off as her then she would be in fine business. So much for trying to get out of Kikyo's shadow. She tried not to think of the psychological problems that would be inferred with what she was doing.

Her biggest problem would be Inuyasha, and Kagome silently prayed that he would catch cold and not come to school that day. On the other hand, she hoped no one would hear those prayers. She hoped he did come, if for no other reason than that she wanted to see him, to make sure he was ok. But she'd have to worry about him later—for now she had other things to worry about.

Kagome took a deep breath, squared her shoulders in the way she thought Kikyo would, and stepped into the flow of students.

Several people bid her a good morning on her way up the stairs, all but one of them referring to her as Kikyo. The one who did call her Kagome made her panic for a second, but then she realized that the student was already walking on, not noticing anything was out of place. So she calmed herself and continued like nothing had happened, always keeping an eye out in case she spotted a boy with a scowl on his face and long dark hair.

She made it to the fourth floor and stepped into the third year hallway. Luckily, she had visited Kikyo up here before so she knew where a few of the classes were. She went straight to Kikyo's homeroom, greeting her fellow students in the halls with calm smiles and polite nods of the head.

At the doorway of her classroom, Kagome stopped. She hadn't the slightest clue which seat was Kikyo's, but she had prepared for this. On her walk to school she had tried to think of how she could convincingly be Kikyo without being Kikyo, and she was pretty sure she had come up with something brilliant.

"Excuse me," she said to the nearest student, "I'm sorry to bother you, but may I ask your help finding my seat? I lost my contacts yesterday, and I'm afraid I can hardly see a thing without them."

"Sure thing, Kikyo." The boy led her to her seat and she sat down. Several of the students around her turned to her with smiles while she opened her bag. Everyone seemed happy to see her—to see Kikyo—and Kagome wondered if Kikyo was close with any of them. Kikyo was friendly with everyone, and she had some friends, mainly in the archery club, but Kagome hadn't heard her talk about them often. She assumed this was just part of Kikyo's reserved personality, so she was bracing herself for some mysterious friends to appear who might know upon sight that she wasn't Kikyo. No one in this room, however, did.

"I didn't know you needed contacts, Kikyo," A girl next to Kagome said conversationally.

"Oh, yes," Kagome said. "I'm nearly blind without them."

"Really?" Someone else asked. Several of the students around were turned toward her, with a couple others that had wandered over, and Kagome was reminded just how popular Kikyo was. She swallowed, but kept her face serene. She could do this.

"Yes," Kagome continued, "I have an appointment with the doctor today, where I will order some more, but I'm afraid my prescription is somewhat rare and takes longer to come than others. So if you would all be so kind as to have some patience with me, I would be very grateful. I hope you are not offended if I don't recognize you or know who you are."

"Of course not, Kikyo," someone reassured her, "It's no trouble." Several other students agreed.

"Well, it's a lucky thing we have our first three classes together," A girl said with a grin, "You can just walk with me, Kikyo. I'll make sure you get there."

_Success! Total piece of cake_, Kagome thought. She smiled in what she imagined to be her best Kikyo smile. "Thank you very much."

Then she pretended to be very focused on pulling her things out of her bag, holding the books ridiculously close to her nose as if pretending to read them. The conversation around her went on as her fellow students talked about the class, the homework, who was dating who, and only turned to Kikyo when they needed her approval or opinion on something. Once they had it, the conversation was then validated and they could move on to the next topic.

Several minutes passed and the room filled up. A bell rang in the hall and a minute later the teacher walked in, instructing the last of his students to take their seats. He slicked his thinning hair back and began taking attendance. Kagome dutifully said she was present when Kikyo's name was called. Then the class went on, all attention turned from her, and Kagome realized that no one had caught on to her yet. Maybe this was going to be easier than she thought.

The first class ended and Kagome left with the girl who said she'd take her to her next class. Kagome listened as the girl chatted, finding it interesting to suddenly be in Kikyo's world. So, these were the people Kikyo talked to every day? These were her classes, this is where she walked? This whole acting and looking like Kikyo thing brought on a new meaning to the nickname "Kikyo Jr." in Kagome's mind.

They made it to their next class but Kagome stopped cold at the front door. She felt her heart skip before it sank and began to dissolve in her stomach acid. Sitting beneath a window on the far side of the room was Inuyasha. Several students sat around him but none of them were attempting to talk to him. He sat with his chin in his palm, looking out the window. She must have been staring, because after a second he turned towards her, doing a double take. Kagome watched what she thought must have been hope quickly turn into flat out confusion.

_ Dang it, dang it, dang it!_ She chanted inwardly. She cursed Kikyo silently for never telling her which classes she had with Inuyasha. Then she cursed Inuyasha for coming to class that day, and mentally yelled at him to go home and be depressed that his girlfriend had skipped town.

He was mad, she just knew it. And confused. And possibly hurt. Dang it. Would he rat her out? Maybe. She had no good reason for doing this except for the truth, which she couldn't tell him.

He was still staring at her beneath his furrowed, dark eyebrows and she gave him a sheepish smile, her shoulders rising in an insecure shrug. Then she remembered that Inuyasha wasn't the only person in the room. She quickly relaxed and turned away from him. The girl who had brought her to class stood by a desk which she informed her kindly was Kikyo's. Kagome walked towards it, greeting students as she passed, feeling the heat of Inuyasha's gaze as he watched her sit. She put her bag on her desk, took a quick breath, then looked at Inuyasha. His eyes narrowed at her and he moved as if to stand, making her panic. Was he coming over here? No! He would completely blow her cover!

But before Inuyasha could even leave his chair the bell rang and the teacher wasted no time jumping into a lecture on Russian politics that only he was excited about. Kagome exhaled in relief as Inuyasha sat back down. Then he glanced back at her over his shoulder and one look at his face told her she wasn't in the clear yet.

Oh, boy. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Class ended and Kagome did the very best she could to escape before Inuyasha could catch up to her. He wasn't one to slow down and listen to reason, and she was afraid if he talked to her he would give her away completely before she could even give him an excuse. Besides, she had no idea what excuse she would give him anyway, and she wanted to stall as long as was possible. So she grabbed the girl who said she'd take her to her next class and all but pulled her down the hall.

"Forgive me," She said to her escort, who looked alarmed, "I just don't want to be late."

"No problem..."

But with a glance over her shoulder Kagome could see that Inuyasha was right behind them. She turned and prepared to all but sprint down the hall with the other girl in tow, when Inuyasha caught up to her and grabbed her arm.

"What in the _heck_—" He started angrily, but Kagome quickly cut him off.

"Oh, Inuyasha, good morning! I'm afraid I'm not able to talk just now, I'll be late for class."

"Late for _class_? What the heck are you talking about, late for class? You idiot, you're not even supposed to _be_—"

Again Kagome cut him off, trying to twist out of his grip while still looking pleasant. "Really, Inuyasha, I have to get to class, let's talk later, shall we?"

He growled in the back of his throat, but before he could say anything else Kagome's escort cleared her throat and they turned to her.

The girl looked back and forth between the two of them with wide eyes. "Am I, um, in the way? Sh-should I just, uh, go on ahead?"

"Of course not, don't mind us," Kagome said through gritted teeth and with a final jerk she pulled her arm free. She turned away from Inuyasha and smiled at her escort. "Please, let's continue." The girl gave a nervous glance toward Inuyasha before complying, and Kagome followed. She glanced back once to see him following at a distance. He glared at her and she glared back. When they made it to class, Inuyasha passed by without looking at her and sat at a desk. So, apparently he was in this class, too. Fantastic.

With a curious but anxious look at Inuyasha, the girl took Kagome to her seat before going to her own. Students filed in while Kagome's mind raced as to how, exactly, she wold explain this to Inuyasha. And what's more she knew she had another person to deal with—Kikyo had this class with Sango. That she knew not because of her sister, but because Sango told her everything. Her best friend walked in along with the teacher, cheerfully greeting classmates who were happy to see her, and took her seat not far from Kagome. The teacher began class and Kagome nonchalantly tried to catch Sango's eye. Sango yawned, tapped her pencil against her paper, cracked her neck, glanced around the room, and finally looked at Kagome. Kagome wasn't bothering to hide—her plan all along had been to tell Sango. Avoiding Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi would be easier since they were in a different grade, but avoiding Sango would be nearly impossible. Besides, she wouldn't be able to convince everyone by herself that she was her sister. She needed help and Sango was someone Kagome could trust. She had promised Kikyo she wouldn't tell anyone, but there was no harm in telling one person, right?

So when Sango caught her eye Kagome gave her the same sheepish smile she had given Inuyasha. Sango's eyebrows shot up. She blinked, shook her head, then looked again as if to confirm what she was seeing. Sango raised an eyebrow, leaning towards her and beginning to whisper loudly, "What are you—" but the teacher spotted her.

"Sango," He said, "Eager to talk? Then please read the next paragraph."

"Eh? Oh, um," Sango looked toward the front and quickly stood. She began reading the next paragraph in their textbook aloud, shooting a puzzled look at Kagome over her book between sentences. Kagome turned the other direction, trying not to make it obvious to anyone else that something was weird. Unfortunately, sitting a couple seats away on her other side was Inuyasha, who was still glaring at her. She turned away from him as well and decided it was safest to just stare at the back of the head in front of her.

Halfway through class the teacher sat behind his desk and let the students quietly work on the assignment he'd just given them. He picked up a book to read, so Sango took the opportunity to peek at Kagome, point at her, and then spread her hands in a "what the?" gesture. Kagome gave a little shrug, then held up a finger for her to wait a minute. She shut her book then stood up and walked up to the teacher's desk.

The teacher looked up. "You have a question, Kikyo?"

"Forgive me, sir, but I simply need to use the restroom."

"In the middle of class? Can't this wait until after?"

"I'm afraid not. Sorry, sir."

"Very well."

"And I'm sorry to further bother you, but you see I've lost my contacts," Kagome explained this in a slightly louder voice than was really necessary so that she could be sure the first few rows of students could hear. That would save her some time re-explaining it later. "I'm quite unable to see properly without them. Would it be too much if I asked to bring someone with me to make sure I find my way?" She thought she heard a scoff from Inuyasha's direction, but kept focused on the teacher. "May I take Sango with me?"

The teacher knew Kikyo to be one of his best students, who would never leave class just to mess around with a friend in the hall. So he asked no more questions and merely said, "Sango, come here, please."

Sango, who had been watching the interchange from her seat, came forward.

"Sango, Kikyo's lost her contacts—help her get to the bathroom, will you?"

"Uh, sure. No problem."

So Kagome and Sango left and Kagome was relieved to no longer feel Inuyasha's scrutinizing gaze on her. That was partly why she had decided to talk to Sango now—he wouldn't be able to overhear this way.

As soon as they were a safe distance from the door, Sango rounded on her with a smile. "So what's this? You and Kikyo playing pranks on the teachers and switching places? I never thought Kikyo would be the kind of person to go for that."

"Heh, she's not, she has no idea."

"No idea? How can that be, is she out sick?

"Nope; Kikyo's left town. She's headed up to Hokkaido today."

"Left town? What for? Surprise vacation?"

Kagome smiled wearily. "Just wait until you hear this." When Sango gave her a quizzical look, Kagome said, "Not here, though."

Kagome let Sango lead the way to the bathroom, where Kagome checked every stall to make sure no one else was around. Then she had rounded on Sango, took a deep breath, and spewed out everything that had happened the previous night. It included some pacing back and forth, almost slipping on a puddle on the floor, and a lot of heavy breathing when she was done. Glad to have confided in someone else, to have someone to share with, she went to one of the sinks and leaned over it. She blinked at herself in the mirror, almost startled to see Kikyo looking back at her. It unnerved her. She turned around and looked at Sango.

Sango still stood in the doorway, being unable to go any further before Kagome had unloaded on her. Now she stared at Kagome with wide eyes, trying to process what had just been said. After a minute she put a hand to her forehead, thinking. "So...so..."

"Yep." Kagome said, leaning back against the sink, suddenly tired.

"And then..."

"Uh-huh."

"So you think that guy yesterday...?"

"Has to be."

"Weird..."

"Tell me about it."

Sango came to lean against a sink as well, arms crossed. She bit her thumb in concentration. "Wow. And I thought stuff like that only happened in the movies."

"Mm-hmm."

"And she just dealt with it herself all this time? Why didn't she tell anyone? How long's this been going?"

"I dunno. She didn't say."

Sango turned to look at Kagome. "So you're pretending to be Kikyo why?"

Kagome sighed, nudging a piece of paper towel on the ground with her shoe. "The reason Kikyo left so suddenly was partly to keep this Onigumo guy off her trail. So maybe there's a chance he doesn't know she's gone yet, right? I guess I thought if I pretended to be Kikyo, even just for a couple days, it might give her a better head start. At least keep him from bothering her in Sapporo too soon. It probably won't work, and if he's watching closer than we think he might already know she's gone. But there's no way to know for sure, so I want to do this for a little while, to help how I can."

"But Kagome, what if he does think you're Kikyo and he comes after you?"

Kagome shook her head. "Kikyo said he wouldn't hurt her, so I don't think I'll be in danger. He might send me some creepy letters or threats or something, but...I still want to give Kikyo some time where she doesn't have to worry about him for a little bit." She turned to Sango. "Will you help me, Sango?"

"Of course I will. As weird as this is, you know I will. Besides, sounds like it could be fun." They smiled at each other. "You know, though, this whole 'becoming Kikyo' thing seems a bit counterproductive to what we were doing before, doesn't it?"

"You're telling me. Not much to do about it now, though."

"Yeah. So what's 'Kagome' up to today?"

"Guess she's out sick. It's probably the flu—she might be out the rest of the week. At least that's what we'll tell everyone."

In the hall, the bell rang and they realized they'd been gone far longer than they should have been. They pushed away from the sinks and Sango asked, "So what are you going to do about archery club?"

Kagome shrugged. "Claim I can't aim without contacts. I'll milk that excuse as long as I can. The tough one is going to be Inuyasha."

"Ooh, yeah. What are you going to tell him?"

She sighed. "I have no idea. Please, just help me avoid him until I can think of something."

"You got it."

* * *

Avoiding him was far easier said than done. The more Kagome avoided him, the more annoyed Inuyasha seemed to become, which just made him all the more determined. With Sango's help Kagome was able to give him the slip a few times, but he knew Kikyo's schedule too well. He knew where all her classes were, and Kagome had to book it out of class if she wanted to disappear before he got there. Lunch was tricky, and Kagome ended up hiding out in a janitor's closet for most of it while Sango wandered around the halls, hoping to lead Inuyasha astray. The bell rang while Kagome was in there, and she exited the closet only to realize she didn't know where Kikyo's next class was. She smacked herself in the forehead and went back into the closet to wait out the period. It was probably the first time in Kikyo's academic history that she had ditched class. Whoops.

She sat on a mop bucket in the dark, smelling the musty smell of cleaner and damp cloth while she contemplated how she had gotten to that point in her life. She left a few minutes before she thought the bell would ring again. Luckily, Kagome knew that Sango had phys. ed. after lunch. She headed straight for the gym, stowing away behind the door when the bell rang. When Sango passed by Kagome grabbed her, making Sango scream before telling her to "shh!"

"There you are!" Sango whispered back. "Are you trying to scare me to death?"

"Sorry!"

The two straightened, glanced around to make sure no one had seen "Kikyo" being very un-Kikyo-like, then started down the hall.

Sango said quietly as they went, "Sorry I didn't come back to get you from the closet. I ran into Miroku and had to shake him before Inuyasha could catch up to me. That guy is the most persistent person I think I've ever met. He's like a blood hound—he can sniff you out of anywhere."

"Miroku or Inuyasha?"

"Both, actually. Although I was talking about Inuyasha."

"Geeze. I really just need to think of something to say to him."

"Well, think fast, because it's only a matter of time before he finds us again."

"Yeah..."

They had made it back to the fourth floor, and both went on high alert, aware that Inuyasha could show up anytime. But the boy whom Kagome saw coming towards her down the hall was someone very different.

"Sango," Kagome hissed. "Ahead of us."

Sango looked up. "Is that Hojo?" It was. The tall second year sauntered down the hall, cheerful as always, flashing a handsome smile to passersby. Kagome had once loved to see that smile, but right now it was the last thing she wanted to see. Hojo had known her too well and too long to be fooled by her merely pulling her hair back and saying her name was Kikyo.

"What's he doing up here?" Kagome said.

"Do you think he'll recognize you?" Sango asked.

"Probably."

"What do we do? He's coming right at us—ack!"

Kagome had pulled Sango through the nearest door, which happened to be the same girl's bathroom from earlier.

Sango put her hands on her hips. "I have a feeling we're going to spend a lot of time in here."

Kagome threw her hands up in the air. "All this running is ridiculous! I'm going to know the bathrooms, janitors closets, and side hallways better than anyone else in the school at this rate!"

"Seriously. Who would have thought you'd ever reach the point where you had to run from the guy you like because you're dressed up like your sister who's being stalked by a criminal? Brings a whole new meaning to teenage drama."

Kagome put her face to the cool brick wall with a groan. "This is not how I thought high school romance was supposed to go. I've been running from him all day! And how creepy is it that I'm pretending to be his girlfriend? This is so weird..."

"Girlfriend?" Sango said, looking at her nails. "Whatever do you mean? I was talking about Hojo."

Kagome pulled away from the wall to glare at Sango. Sango grinned, and Kagome didn't have to look in the mirror to know her cheeks were a bit pink. "You're terrible."

"Sticks and stones."

"Whatever. He's probably gone by now, right? Let's go." Kagome swung the door open wide and walked out, Sango giggling behind her.

"Hey, Kagome."

Kagome spun around at the voice, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. Leaning against the wall by the bathroom door was Inuyasha, his arms crossed. He looked down at her icily. "How's it goin'?"

"Speak of the devil," Sango muttered.

Kagome turned and looked at the students milling about. She felt her fight or flight instincts kicking in and she wanted to run away immediately. But she knew that Kikyo sprinting down the hall _away_ from her boyfriend was something that would definitely draw attention. The running was over. Dang it.

Inuyasha pushed off the wall and stepped toward her. "We need to talk, Kagome."

"Shh!" She said fiercely. "Don't call me that."

His eye twitched. "Why not, that's your _name, _idiot. Care to explain what the heck you think you're doing?"

Kagome kept her voice low, trying not to be overheard by the students passing them. "Well, uh, you see it's kind of complicated..." What in the heck was she supposed to tell him?

"Try me. I'm not as dumb as you think." Inuyasha wasn't bothering to keep his voice down at all and Kagome looked around again nervously.

"No, that's not it..."

"What is it, then? This some kind of a sick joke? Are you trying to mess with me? If so, it's not funny, Kagome."

"No! It's not, it's, uh..." Dang it, she had no idea what to say to him. She looked at Sango, who looked back as if to say, "I've got nothing." Kagome turned back to Inuyasha's stern face. She thought about how upset he had been the previous day, and she could only imagine that beneath his frustration he was sad. He deserved the truth, which she couldn't give him. What _could _she say to him? It was just a prank on the teachers? "Sorry your girlfriend ditched you, that's a real bummer, I'm dressing up like her for fun just to mess with everyone, could you please play along, no big deal"? No way he'd go for that.

She cleared her throat. "Well, you see, uh, it's kind of a funny story...I, uh, lost a bet, so I—"

"Liar."

Well, shot down. He certainly never liked making things easy for her. "Umm, it's this new experiment I'm doing on facial recognition—"

"Yeah right."

"Would you believe she asked me to do this?"

"Is that a question or is that your excuse?"

"Uh..."

"Enough, just _out_ with it! What are you doing? Why are you acting like this? Does this have to do with Kikyo leaving? Why? Is something wrong? What's going on?" His voice was escalating with each question and Kagome looked around in worry before glaring up at him.

"Didn't I say to keep it _down_?" She snapped.

"Why should I?"

"_Because_, you idiot, I said so!"

"That's about all you've said! Quit avoiding the subject!"

"I'm not, _you're_ just being difficult!" People were beginning to look. Kikyo, in a fight with Inuyasha in the middle of the hall? Kagome was pretty sure that would never happen.

"Don't act like _I'm_ the one at fault here when _you're_ the one who's—"

But Kagome suddenly grabbed him by the front of the shirt, yanked open the door to the girl's bathroom, and disappeared inside along with him.

Sango looked at the closed door before turning to the confused students around her. "Nothing to see here, folks, don't mind them! Move along!" Then she, too, went into the bathroom.

"What is this," Inuyasha was saying inside, "Sexual harassment?"

"Grr, will you just be cooperative for one second!" Kagome had stopped trying to be quiet in the safety of the bathroom.

"I told you we'd be here a lot..." Sango said to no one in particular, and neither of them paid her any attention.

"Cooperative to _what_? You haven't told me anything! As far as I know you just get off on the fact that Kikyo's gone so you can take her place!"

"Well maybe I do! Maybe I'm sick of being 'Jr.', you ever think of that?"

"So you're going to _be_ her? You think that'll fix your inferiority complex? Yeah, right! That's about the most pathetic thing I've ever heard!"

That effected Kagome visibly and Sango said with a frown, "Whoa, hey now, watch it..."

Kagome snapped back, "So what if it is, you stupid jerk?"

Inuyasha scoffed. "Don't be such an idiot! Do you seriously think that'll work for you?"

"It's none of your business, ok?"

"You think you can _pull off _being Kikyo anyway?"

"I said it's none of your business!"

"That's idiotic, even for you, Kagome!"

Emotion was sneaking into Kagome's voice, which just made her even more angry. "Shut up! Just leave me alone in my pathetic ways then!"

"I'd love to, but I can't exactly when you're going around impersonating _my_ girlfriend, now, can I? Or did you forget about that?"

"Your girlfriend who _left _you! And why not since you're such a _jerk_!"

Inuyasha looked like he'd been hit and Kagome immediately regretted saying it. She was upset, it had just slipped out...Inuyasha's face darkened and he looked as though he were withdrawing into himself.

Kagome extended a hand toward him. "I...I didn't mean—"

But he cut her off. "Fine. I'll leave you to your stupid plans. See if I care." Then he brushed past her, shaking her off when she reached for his sleeve.

"Wait, Inuyasha, I didn't mean—come back! Inuyasha!"

But he slammed the door open and stalked down the hall way. A few students who were still standing outside gaped after him then turned to Kagome. Kagome saw their wide eyes watching her before the door swung shut once again. As it did the bell rang.

Kagome stood just inside the door, staring at it. Sango stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder. "Kagome? You alright?"

Kagome hesitated just a second before turning to smile at Sango. "Well, that didn't go very well, did it?" She stepped forward and bent to pick up her school bag where she had dropped it. "Let's go, Sango. We don't want people talking any more than they probably already are."

"Ok..." Sango stood beside her as she reached for the door. Kagome took a deep breath, briefly squeezing her eyes shut as if to keep in her emotions. Then she adopted the serene Kikyo-face once again and opened the door. Sango watched her go, shook her head, then followed suit.

* * *

Inuyasha didn't come to school the next day. Or the next. Kagome told herself he was probably just taking time to process, just getting over some things. But of course her mind then went to the worst possible scenario, and she would look at his empty seat in class and wonder if he'd decided to vent his anger by picking a fight with some gang all by himself. He was just the kind of idiot who would do that, and she was afraid she'd find out later he was hospitalized or something. She'd kill him if he was. She tried to think of other possibilities to counter that one, but she wasn't coming up with much. She knew he didn't like his brother, so he wouldn't be home in case said brother found out, and as far as Kagome knew he didn't have anywhere else to go. That put him pretty solidly to wandering the streets, which just caused Kagome's thoughts to circle back around to gang fights and hospital beds.

They had never fought that badly before. Bickered, sure, had a few brief arguments over this or that, totally. But it had never become so personal. But, then, none of their conversations had ever really been that personal, considering they hardly talked to each other for more than ten minutes at a time. Usually they'd blow off steam at each other, and by the next time they ran into one another they were over it. She wondered now if he could forgive her that easily this time.

Other than worrying about Inuyasha, Kagome felt like she was beginning to settle into her role as Kikyo. It seemed her classmates weren't as close to the cool and intelligent Kikyo as they liked to believe, because no one challenged her on her identity. Not even Kikyo's fellow class representative noticed, and with a little blush he told her he'd keep up with the work until she got new contacts. A couple students asked about Inuyasha, but no one dared pry, so if anyone was gossiping it wasn't when she was around. There were a few close calls now and then when Kagome would pass one of her friends in the hall. Once when a teacher called on her in math class and Kagome gave him a runaround of an excuse as to why she couldn't do a problem on the board, which then made him give her a strange look, but let it go. Kagome did her best not to stand out after that. Ayumi gave Sango Kagome's homework, which Kagome tried to do on top of doing Kikyo's. Sango was a great lookout for Kagome at school, and she even helped do Kikyo's homework, since half the time Kagome had no idea what she was supposed to do with it. Kagome was extremely grateful for the assistance and promised to buy Sango's lunches far into the foreseeable future.

Kagome's family had no idea what their daughter was up to. It wasn't all that hard to hide, since she still went to school everyday and came home at the same time. She would just take her hair out of its ponytail and act like everything was normal. Eri did call one time, though, asking how Kagome was feeling since she had been out sick and whether or not she'd be able to come to the drama competition. That confused Grandpa for a few minutes until Kagome could snatch the phone away from him. She had faked as sick of a voice as she could, apologizing multiple times to Eri about the competition and feeling horribly guilty. In the mornings on her way to school, Kagome would call the school office pretending to be her mother, and inform them Kagome was still sick. The last thing she needed was for the school to call home while she was gone, asking where Kagome was.

Other than that, Kagome just minded her own, well, Kikyo's business, keeping an eye out all the while for strangers watching her from the shadows or strange letters left in her locker or the mailbox. So far, she had seen nothing, and she hoped that it wasn't because Onigumo had already figured out where the real Kikyo was.

Friday rolled around, and Kagome was ecstatic that she had a weekend coming up where she didn't have to pretend to be anyone else. The late August sky was rather gray and the rain seemed to turn on and off throughout the day, dampening the field and kicking up the smell of wet concrete on the sidewalks. Kagome said goodbye to her peers in her last class and headed down the stairs, being passed up by several groups of students who were eager to start the weekend. She stood inside the school doors, watching the raindrops slide down the glass before carefully examining the street just beyond the school wall. No dark looming figures stood there, only the umbrellas of fellow students going home. So she pulled her umbrella out of her bag and opened it up, stepping out into the cool, wet air and following the crowd out the school gates.

The further Kagome got from the school, the less students there were around, and she let herself relax. She stretched her arms and cracked her neck, thinking how on earth Kikyo was so stiff all the time. She twirled the umbrella handle in her palm and tilted it back so a few droplets could fall on her bangs and face.

She wondered how Kikyo was doing. Apparently Kikyo was allowed to call home every other weekend or so, so they wouldn't hear from her until next week. But she was probably having no problem catching up with the curriculum, and no doubt more than one guy was already beginning to fall in love with her. She wondered if Kikyo had received any notes or letters from Onigumo. She wondered if she was missing Inuyasha yet.

Kagome thought, _I hope you know what you're doing, Kikyo. I hope you're not putting Inuyasha through this for nothing. Or me, for that matter._

She was five minutes from home when through the gray she saw a tall man ahead of her. She paused for a second, as she did when she saw any man on the street these days. But there was no reason to fear. His back was to her, but there was no mistaking him—it was only Inuyasha. No other guy would have that ridiculous hair. He was in jeans and a red t-shirt, the rain falling steadily on him and soaking him through, but he didn't seem to notice. He turned out of her sight a few blocks ahead of her.

Had he stopped by her house? Perhaps to be all melancholy in the rain and gaze up at the Higurashi household that no longer housed Kikyo. There was no reason to go after him. He'd be thinking all about Kikyo right now. And even if she did, he'd say he wasn't upset, that Kikyo leaving didn't even phase him. He'd say he was fine. He'd say she should leave him alone.

Inuyasha had been out of sight for several minutes already, and she continued walking forward. As she went her pace picked up steadily until she was suddenly running, the wind and rain whipping under her umbrella and landing on her hair and face. She had to hurry if she was going to catch him.

* * *

Inuyasha kicked at a rock on the street only to have it land in a puddle. Shame. He'd kicked that rock around for the last three blocks. At least it had given him something to do.

He looked down at the river to the side of him. The street he was on was lined on one side by brick walls and houses, and on the opposite side the river ran by in it's concrete bed. Right now the water looked angry from mud and rain and it flowed quicker than usual. A short bridge of brick and metal hung in the air a few yards away from him, connecting this side of town to that on the other side of the river. Not that the bridge was really needed—Inuyasha could easily jump across. He'd done it before when he was younger, when he was trying to outrun a stronger kid and didn't have time to get to the bridge.

He stood at the river's bank and eyed the other side, letting the muscles in his legs tense up before he jumped. The concrete slope was slick with rain and he almost slipped before he caught the edge, pulling himself up. He looked down into the water before he rolled his eyes at his own sense of accomplishment. How stupid. It was just a dumb river. He wiped the rain drops dripping down his face with the back of his hand, which was pointless since he was wet all over. He looked both ways on the street he was now on. It was empty, partly because of the weather, partly because this street wasn't often frequented in the first place. He crossed the pavement to a cinderblock wall and slumped against it, sliding down to the ground. On the other side of the wall was a small house, and he could smell someone's dinner cooking. The family would probably be gathering around the table about now to eat together.

He felt a pang of hunger in his stomach but ignored it, staring instead at the gray river, the gray rain, and the gray walls around him. He forgot he hadn't eaten today—he'd left early in order to avoid his brother and had been wandering around since then. It had been a boring day; he hadn't even found anyone to pick a fist fight with. Oh, well. He'd hang around until after dark, then head home. By then Sesshomaru would have already been home and locked himself away in his office after eating. If he ate at home, that is. Did he eat at all? Inuyasha wasn't sure. In fact, he couldn't recall ever seeing the man eat anything. Except coffee. Nothing but coffee, no sugar or cream—that's probably why he was so tall and skinny.

Inuyasha would probably have to go back to school on Monday. If not, the school might call Sesshomaru, wondering where Inuyasha was. Sesshomaru would probably say he didn't know nor care where his half-brother was, but Inuyasha didn't want the school to call him anyway. He hated being associated with his brother, and Sesshomaru hated it even more. They avoided it as much as possible.

Suck. He seriously didn't want to go. He hated school. He hated his stupid uniform. He hated the idiots who whispered behind his back. It hadn't been so bad for a while, with Kikyo there. He hadn't minded school; he even looked forward to it. Then he'd become less known as "Inuyasha, the bad boy" and more known as "Inuyasha, Kikyo's bad-boy boyfriend, who must for some reason be cool, otherwise why would Kikyo date him?" Whatever. They were a bunch of idiots, anyway.

Maybe they had a point, though. He sighed, closing his eyes and leaning his head back on the wall, letting the raindrops fall on his face. He and Kikyo, from as different backgrounds as could be possible, had found they were not so different. In fact, they were quite similar in some ways. But had that not been enough? He thought they were doing fine, that they had made promises they would keep. Then she'd up and left for some fancy program without any kind of decent explanation. He wished he could call her, that he could see her. But he couldn't. She said she'd be back, sure, but he couldn't stop the suspicious, gnawing thought in the back of his mind that she wouldn't be. She was gone for good. She'd just left him. Like everyone else who had ever mattered in his life. And why not? He was harsh, he was stubborn, and apparently he hadn't learned any manners, which Kikyo was always pointing out to him anyway. He was no good. Why should she stick around? Kagome was probably right.

Kagome.

If he and Kikyo were from different backgrounds, then Kagome must have been from a different planet. A different dimension. Some far, distant future that he didn't understand. But she had just kind of...always been there. He'd gotten used to her popping up and being annoying and smiling at him. He liked it. Since he'd been with Kikyo, lots of people had tried "befriending" him, but he had seen right through their shallow pretenses and scared most of them off. Not Kagome. There was nothing shallow about the friendship she forced on him, and there was no scaring her off. She was some kind of cheerful, quick to anger, resilient alien or something.

Not anymore, though. Kikyo was gone, and now he'd lose Kagome. Why should Kagome put up with him if Kikyo wasn't around? She had no reason to. They always ended up arguing, anyway. So he'd give her what she was probably too nice to say she wanted—for him to go away.

Even if he was insanely curious as to what in the heck she thought she was doing, pretending she was Kikyo. He hadn't been to school the last few days, and he wondered if she was still trying to keep it up. Did she seriously have a big-sister complex? No way. She never acted like she did before. But, then, what did he know about people? Pretty much next to nothing. Although Kagome might have been the one person who incited any kind of interest in him to know anything about other people. She was just kind of...fascinating.

Whatever. He should just forget about her. Especially after their fight the other day, there was no way she'd want to talk to him now. Great. Looks like it was going to be back to the way it had always been for him—just him. No one else. At least he knew how to live that way already. It was a cold but familiar feeling of emptiness.

Inuyasha opened his eyes and turned his head to the side when he heard quick footsteps on the wet pavement. Then he jerked his head upright in order to better stare.

Kagome of all people stopped in front of him, breathing heavy. She had just come from the direction of the bridge and he thought she must have seen him from the other side. She was in her uniform, her school bag in one hand, an umbrella held aloft in the other. Although it didn't look like it had done her any good—her hair was falling out around her face in wet strands, and her blazer was a darker shade on the shoulders and the front where the rain had soaked through.

What the freak? Did she have some kind of strange sixth sense that told her when someone was thinking about her? How unnerving. What in the heck was she doing here, in the opposite direction of home?

They stared at each other for a minute, with nothing but the rain and her heavy breathing breaking the silence. Then he asked bluntly, "What are you doing here?"

She crouched down in front of him, holding her umbrella out so it was over his head. She smiled at him softly. "Did I startle you? I'm sorry—I'm not Kikyo."

He snorted. "I know that. What the heck are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you. I'm glad I found you." Then she sat beside him, her back against the wall, holding her umbrella over the both of them. She looked out at the river in front of them for a minute before turning to him. "Are you angry?"

He realized he was probably glaring at her in confusion. "No."

She nodded, then looked back out to the river. He followed suit, still half watching her out of the corner of his eye, but not sure what to do next.

"I'm sorry," She said.

He turned back to her fully and she met his gaze. "What?" He said.

"I'm sorry for being angry and saying that Kikyo left because of you. It's not true. I was just mad. It wasn't your fault at all—and she'll be back, so you don't have to worry."

She was apologizing? What the heck for? Hadn't he been the one to get angry first? Not that he hadn't been justified—she had been acting like a lunatic, pretending to be Kikyo. But still. Why was she out here apologizing to him? He watched a stray droplet slide from her hairline down the side of her face and drop onto her wet jacket. Had she been running around out here in the rain just to find him?

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Because that's what you do when you feel sorry."

"Ha, well, don't go out of your way on my account. Kikyo's not around, so you don't have to bother yourself."

She frowned. "So, what, I'm not allowed to be friends with you anymore just because Kikyo's gone?"

"What? That's not what I said." He looked down at her determined face. "You...still want to be friends with me?"

She scoffed. "And why shouldn't I? I'm not going to stop being friends with you just because Kikyo's gone. And the last thing I'd do is let a stupid argument ruin a friendship." She paused, and then asked more timidly, "Is that ok?"

"Is what ok?"

"Can I still be friends with you?"

Was she kidding? But one look in her brown eyes told him she was being honest. She was sitting on the wet ground, holding her umbrella over him—which was pointless since he was soaked already—almost soaked herself, and she had to be tired and cold from running in the rain. Running after _him_ in the rain. She was serious, and she was waiting for an answer.

He turned away from her, looking ahead of him but at nothing in particular. Seriously? She wasn't going away? He still had one person left? One tie to Kikyo? Who wouldn't walk around him when they passed him in school? Who wouldn't leave, despite the idiotic things he said and his tendency to pick a fight with her? Who smiled at him without fail whenever she saw him? Well, for how long? She would leave eventually. Everyone did.

It didn't matter. He'd take what he could get while he could. "Whatever. Do what you want."

Out of his peripheral he saw her smile. Then she looked ahead as well, and said nothing else. They sat like that for a while, Kagome's umbrella over their heads, the sound of the rain around them. And Inuyasha thought that for a few minutes the air felt a little less cold than it had before.

* * *

A/N: Is it done? Is it finished? I dare say it is. REVIEW. Luv.


	4. The Woman in Red

A/N: La

* * *

The Woman in Red

May

"Is this seriously happening right now?" Yuka said from where she stood at the edge of the crowd. The hallway at the base of the stairwell was packed with students. No one seemed to be moving forward, and those at the back of the crowd looked at each other, wondering why they couldn't get to the stairs. "What's happened?" Yuka asked. "The frogs from the science lab escape again?"

"Gah! This can't be happening!" Kagome exclaimed, pulling on a strand of her hair. "We don't have time for this! We'll miss the quiz!"

Yuka gave her a lidded look. "Well, if_ someone _didn't keep dozing off during class, then _maybe _it wouldn't be a big deal..."

"Erk! That was one time, and it was Grandpa's fault! He made me drink this weird pickle juice he said was supposed to keep curses away, and I felt sick all night. But that's not the point! The point is I can't miss another quiz! If we go back to the north staircase we'll be late and Mr. Faikako will lock us out again...Come on!" Kagome pulled Yuka into the crowd, using her bag as a shield as she wadded through her peers. Several people looked at her in surprise and annoyance but she ignored them. Yuka followed, apologizing to the students who were forced to move aside by Kagome. "Excuse us, our bad, move it, please..."

As they neared the stairs they heard angry voices shouting back and forth. The closer they got the more insults they could hear, and Kagome cocked her head when she thought she recognized one of them.

"I_ said _get out of my _way _before I _make _you move!"

Yep. There was no mistaking that voice. She shoved aside one last kid before they made it to the front of the crowd. The students formed a circle around the base of the stairs, leaving plenty of space so they would be out of the way. Inuyasha stood in the center of the circle, scowling, facing off against a tall boy with a long ponytail. The boy stood in front of the stairs, one hand leaning against the wall and blocking Inuyasha's path. Behind him several other boys lounged on the stairs, their legs stretched in the way. Some of them sniggered while others looked down on Inuyasha in annoyance.

"Yell all you want, you whining sack of crap," The boy said, looking down his nose at Inuyasha. "But I told you, you're not getting up these stairs. You know full well you're not welcome on this side of the school!"

Inuyasha's fists clenched and unclenched in anger. "You spoiled brat, last I checked you don't own this side of the school! Get the _heck_ out of my way before I land you in the hospital!"

The boy put a hand to his face and feigned a look of fear. "Oh, my, you hear that? The hospital!" He turned back to the guys behind him. "Inuyasha's kind of a meanie—are we scared?" The response was a lot of booing and some foul gestures, and the boy turned back to Inuyasha with a sneer. "Oh, yeah, that's right. No, we're not."

Kagome kept her eyes on the boys but leaned toward Yuka. "Who's that guy?"

Yuka whispered back, "His name's Koga, he's a third year. Those guys with him are on the soccer team."

"Isn't anyone going to get a teacher or something?"

The girl on Kagome's other side answered, "Someone went to get the vice principle already."

Great. The vice principle was a short and portly man, whom most people completely overlooked in the hall by accident. By the time he got here, there'd probably already be blood, and even if he did get here sooner, what could he possibly do? Kagome glanced around. Where was Kikyo? Unfortunately not here to reign Inuyasha in. And it didn't look like anyone else in the crowd was about to step in, either.

Koga pushed off the wall, crossing his arms. "We're not like the rest of the cowards at this school, Inuyasha. Your cute little fists and growls won't bother us. We've fried bigger and meaner than you. And don't think that just because you're dating Kikyo Higurashi that somehow makes you one of _us_. Slink back to your corner, where you belong, dog."

There was some murmuring among the crowd, and someone said loudly, "Yeah, go back where you came from!" Kagome turned, but didn't see who had said it.

Inuyasha ignored the crowd behind him. His nose wrinkled and his knuckles cracked. "One of _you_? I'd rather have my eyeballs pulled out and eaten than ever want to be one of you pathetic fools. You think you're so much better than me, with your money and your friends, but I bet I can mess you up so bad your daddy won't recognize you. Then you'll probably just be disinherited and no one will remember you anymore. C'mere, I'll get started..."

"Ooh, I'm scared now. The tough guy's gonna get me! Please. Bring it on. Although I can't mess you up any worse than you already are—I didn't know Kikyo was _blind_."

Inuyasha lunged forward to grab Koga by the front of the shirt. "Leave her out of this."

Oh, boy, this was going to come to blows any second now. Kagome looked around. Really, was _no one _else going to do anything to stop this? Kagome felt her anger building. These idiots were backing everyone up for _this_? Morons! Didn't they know this was a _school_ and Kagome had a quiz to take?

"How adorable," Koga mocked, "Lover-boy over here's getting all defensive over his girl! What's the matter, don't like me talking about her? It's not my fault she's not as smart as everyone thinks. Can't be if she's dating _you._"

In the blink of an eye Inuyasha's fist was flying at Koga's face. He landed one solidly on Koga's jaw, but Koga was quick and recovered enough to throw his own punch and knocked Inuyasha to the ground a few feet away. The crowed gasped in excitement and surprise, backing away from Inuyasha as he sat back up. He jumped to his feet, his anger building from the embarrassment of being knocked down. But just before he could lunge forward again he found himself being yanked in the other direction by the ear. After the initial shock he spun around, only to find Kagome glaring up at him. He blinked once before turning furious. "Ow! What in the _heck _do you think you're—"

"What do you think you're doing?" Kagome yelled over him. "Stop fighting! Someone will get hurt!"

"Back off! Get out of my way, idiot!"

"You're the idiot! You're keeping all these people from class for this stupid argument? About _what_? Nothing!"

"This has nothing to do with you, moron! Butt out!"

"This has everything to do with me! _You're _making _me_ late with your stupid picking fights and being a jerk! This is_ your_ fault!"

Koga threw his head back and laughed at the short girl facing off against Inuyasha. "See, Inuyasha? Even your fellow students are against you. Might as well give up and—"

Kagome rounded on him. "And you!" Koga froze mid-laugh, Kagome's finger in his face. "Who do you think you are, causing all this trouble?"

"Me? Don't be stupid, girl, he's the one—"

Kagome poked him hard in the chest. "Who's the one blocking the stairs and acting all high and mighty? Look at all these people, they're late because of you!" She poked him again, making him back up. "Ganging up on someone like that, you think that's brave? Don't think you're any less guilty than he is!" She turned from him in irritation, not noticing the wide-eyed stares of the crowd, although none looked more shocked than Inuyasha and Koga. Kagome crossed her arms. "Seriously, this is an institution for higher education, you idiots can't just go around bothering everyone with your personal disagreements. Next time, take it outside, you got that?...I said, you _got that_?"

Koga looked down at her in awe and nodded once. Inuyasha shook off his surprise and turned away from her in annoyance. "Huh, who do you think you are, acting like you're our mom and bossing—Hey, what the heck!"

Kagome was pushing him from behind toward the stairs. "Let's go! You first, so you won't 'cause more trouble." Kagome peeked from behind Inuyasha at the boys on the stairs. They looked up at her, unsure what to do, flinching under her glare. "Excuse us, we need to get by here."

"Fools!" Koga snapped at them, grabbing the nearest one and yanking him off the stair. "You heard the lady! Move aside!"

The soccer team scrambled to get out of the way and Kagome stalked past them, pushing Inuyasha before her. He wasn't happy about it, and he snapped his teeth at one of the boys they passed, making him jump.

Kagome and Inuyasha disappeared out of sight before the rest of the crowd began to disperse, some of them muttering about Kikyo's little sister and how they wondered if it ran in the family—maybe that was how Kikyo managed to date Inuyasha.

They were almost up the third flight of stairs when Inuyasha finally wormed out of Kagome's grasp. "All right, already, quit with the shoving!" He straightened his jacket, glaring at her. She ignored his anger and continued up the stairs. What, was he mad she had stopped him from getting the crap beat out of him? What was he going to do, fight her now? She doubted that, but it wouldn't keep him from arguing. This guy was ridiculous. She had been trying to be his friend the last couple weeks, but he sure made it difficult. She always waved and said hi or tried to talk to him, but he would only give her a look like she had a strange disease or say something rude to offend her. She seriously wondered how Kikyo had started dating him—Kikyo was so passive aggressive and Inuyasha was so...not. She could only assume there was more to him than met the eye, otherwise why would Kikyo waste her time? Somewhere, deep, deep down, there was something good about Inuyasha. Kagome would just have to keep looking for it. Although right now it was kind of difficult.

She ignored his aggravated tone as he followed after her: "What the heck did you think you were doing, butting in? Stupid girls shouldn't get in the way of fights between men."

"Men? What men?" Kagome put her nose in the air. "I only saw two foolish boys."

"Grr, you are the most obnoxious person I've ever met!"

"I was just helping you!"

"_Helping_? I didn't need your help! I could have taken all of those guys!"

"Don't be so arrogant! Not only would they have beat you, the teachers would have showed up, and then you'd be in serious trouble! How about just saying thank you for once, you jerk?" Kagome turned through a doorway to the hall beyond. He stomped after her.

"Thank you for what? For being such a holy pain in the—" He was forced to stop when she suddenly spun around, hands on her hips, frowning up at him. He braced himself for her to lay into him, preparing his own insults to throw back at her.

She demanded angrily, "Are you hurt?"

"Oh, yeah, well you—what?"

"Your _face_," She spoke more loudly and clearly, as if he were hard of hearing, "Does it _hurt_?"

"Shut up! That guy hits exactly how you'd think a pansy with a ponytail would hit. I let him get one in, is all. It's not a good fight if you win right away."

"You liar, I saw him! He knocked you right on your butt!"

"Shut up!"

Kagome rolled her eyes and grabbed a piece of his hair, ignoring his squabbling and pulling his face down to hers so she could inspect it. Beneath his eye the skin was turning a maroonish purple. No doubt it would be solidly black for the next few days. She reached up and touched it gently. "Look, you're already getting a black eye!"

He smacked her hand away and pulled back. "Shut up, I said I don't need your help, didn't I?" He turned away, crossing his arms. She raised her eyebrows. Was that a slight blush she saw across his cheeks? Had she embarrassed him? Had she gotten a little too close? No, couldn't be. His face must have already been red from anger and being hit. Rough and tough Inuyasha didn't _blush_. Without realizing it, she had stepped closer again, frowning at his face. He shifted uncomfortably and stepped back again.

"Fine," She said, "Put some ice on it later, then, you idiot. Kikyo can get you some from the nurse's office so you don't get in trouble if the nurse asks questions." She turned away with a sigh. "I don't know why I even bother worrying about you."

"_I_ never asked you to worry."

"See? You're always a jerk to me anyway."

"What? I am not!"

"You are so!"

"Maybe because _you_ always say or do stupid things!"

She rubbed her temples. "Ugh, you..."

Yuka reached the top of the stairs then, breathing heavy. Behind her, more students were hurrying up the stairs. "Kagome! Oh, uh—" Yuka stopped when she saw Inuyasha, not sure what to do then. She neared Kagome after a second, avoiding looking at him. "Kagome, we have to hurry, there's only a minute before—"

The bell rang.

"Ack!" Kagome gasped. "The quiz! Come on, Yuka!" She grabbed Yuka's hand and took off, leaving Inuyasha to watch after her as the students ran into the hallway. They rushed to their classes, parting to either side around Inuyasha and avoiding eye contact.

::::

* * *

August

Sango's morning routine generally consisted of waking up at the crack of dawn, opening up all the doors to the martial arts dojo, sweeping it out, and then practicing. Kohaku, her twelve year old brother, would wander through the dojo doors a little while later. He would stretch in the corner, yawning all the while, before Sango wanted him to spar with her. She always went easy on him—Kohaku was sick enough without her accidentally hitting him too hard or flipping him across the room. He practiced hard but he tired easily, and Sango would tell him to stop and meditate in the yard before going up to shower. She was the one who made him get up and practice every morning; she was convinced that strengthening his body would help him be less sick all the time. Her father agreed, although he didn't push Kohaku to do it himself—he worried too much.

This morning, after Sango had showered and gotten ready, she headed to the kitchen as she usually did. Her father, Masahiko "Masa" Kuwashima, was already there, wearing his wife's old apron and hovering over a pot of rice on the stove. Sango smiled. He was always very concerned about that rice—more than once he had burned it or let it boil over onto the floor. He looked up when she entered the room.

"Ah, good morning, Sango," He stepped away from the stove as she headed toward him.

"Good morning," Sango greeted. Her father sat down at the table and Sango took her own apron off a hook on the wall. All the vegetables and ingredients for breakfast were already laid out very neatly on the counter, and she got right to work preparing them. After his wife had passed away three years ago, Masa had tried to pick up the slack in the kitchen, but found he wasn't much of a cook. Sango eventually took pity on him, and saved herself and Kohaku from his cooking by taking over the cooking. Masa still liked to help, however, and Sango allowed him to do all the preparations in the morning for her.

"You have practice today?" Her father asked as he opened up the letters from the mail.

"Yep. I'll be home a little after six."

"All right. And don't forget Kohaku has his appointment at the hospital tomorrow—I'll need you home early to take over the beginner's class for me so I can take him."

"Sure thing, dad. Is it just a check up this time?" Her father didn't respond, and she paused in cutting her cucumbers to look at him. "Dad?"

He glanced at her from the letter he was reading intently. "Hmm?"

"Is it just a check up this time?"

"Yes. It is." He put the letter on the table and scratched the scruff on his chin, looking worn out.

"What's wrong? Another bill?"

"A letter from Mr. Naraku."

"Him again? Didn't we tell him that we were working on getting the money? What's he want now?"

"He needs it sooner."

"What!" Sango brought her knife down on the lettuce, chopping it in half with a bang. "_Sooner_? We're going as fast as we can!"

"We're in debt, Sango—this is the way loans work. And unfortunately the dojo isn't doing as well as it could be."

The dojo had been in their family for several generations, and in the past it had been a well respected school for martial artists. But times were changing, and other, flashier dojos had been built in Tokyo. The Tanaka dojo had history and tradition behind it, which still drew a few students, but not enough. Especially when there were Kohaku's medicines to pay for, and the debt left behind from their mother's medical bills. The debt seemed to just keep piling up. Shortly after their mother had died Kohaku had been hospitalized again. Masa had been desperate for the money to help his son, and when Mr. Naraku had stepped in and offered them the money, he had taken it, promising to do whatever he could to pay Mr. Naraku back later. It became apparent, however, that in Masa's desperation he had allied himself with a dishonest loan shark, and now the whole family was paying the price.

"Can't Uncle Hiriki help out again?" Sango asked hopefully.

Masa shook his head. "I can't ask him, not again. Shima just had her baby, and he's struggling enough as it is." Masa looked up at his worried daughter. He stood and crossed over to her, kissing her on the forehead. "I'm sorry, Sango. I shouldn't be bothering my daughter with such things—you're too young to have to worry about this. But! Don't you worry, my dear! We'll figure this out. Everything will be all right." He looked toward a picture hanging on the wall of a beautiful woman. "Isn't that right, my love?" The picture didn't respond, but continued smiling back.

Kohaku's footsteps could be heard coming down the hall then, and the two of them turned back to their respective activities as though nothing were wrong.

"Morning, dad!" Kohaku greeted, sitting down at the table.

"Morning, son. How are you feeling this morning?"

"Pretty good. I think I'll walk to school today rather than take the bus."

"Yeah? Well, in _my_ day we didn't even have the option of taking the bus. Everybody walked."

"Yeah, and in your day Samurai still roamed the streets." Sango said, putting a bowl of rice and vegetables in front of Kohaku.

"Sango!" Masa put a hand to his chest. "You hurt me."

"How old are you, dad?" Kohaku asked casually.

"I'll never tell!" Masa said proudly.

Sango and Kohaku rolled their eyes. It was an ongoing joke that Masa wouldn't disclose his age. When pressed he said he was twenty five. Once when Sango and Kohaku were younger they had scoured the house in search of a birth certificate, an old school assignment, anything that would give away Masa's age. Then they had discovered that their mother had hidden all such documents, and she laughed and told them they'd never know! She had taken the secret to her grave.

"Here, kiddo," Sango said, putting a handful of pills in Kohaku's palm. "Eat up."

Kohaku made a face at the assortment of medicine, before obediently doing swallowing them. The family ate their breakfast and packed their lunches, and Masa headed to the dojo to open it up for his morning class.

Sango and Kohaku left and walked a ways together, enjoying the morning. The earth was clean and green after the rain over the weekend, and it would still be a couple months before the leaves started changing the colors of fall.

"You'll be all right the rest of the way?" Sango asked as they reached the point where they had to separate.

Kohaku smiled, his freckles standing out on his pale cheeks. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

She smiled back. "Good. See you tonight."

"Oh! I forgot to ask dad—I wanted to go to Sota's house tonight, is that ok? He got a new video game and Shippo and I want to check it out."

Sango put a hand on her hip. "Don't you have homework and stuff? Shouldn't you be asking dad that? I won't be home until late and you can't just not come home from school, you know he'll worry."

"I'll call him from Sota's house. And I have to go to the doctor's tomorrow, so I can't hang out then. Pleeease?"

Sango looked at his pleading face. He was pale and skinny as always. She never could say no. "Fine. Call dad as soon as you get there!"

"I will, I will!" He was already hurrying off in the direction of his school. "See you later!"

Sango watched him go with a smile, not able to help the small bit of anxiety in her chest. She always worried about him when he was gone. Her mother had died of heart failure, and so would Kohaku if he didn't get a new one. Unfortunately, there weren't a lot of spare hearts waiting to be given away, and the ones that were around didn't come cheap. She felt angry when she thought of Mr. Naraku—didn't _he _have a heart? His probably wasn't broken, like Kohaku's was, so why wasn't it working properly? Couldn't he give them a break and let them pay him back at their own speed? If they didn't get him the money when he wanted it, the dojo would be taken, and their income and way of paying off their debts and getting Kohaku's medicine would be gone. "It's just business," is what her father would say. That didn't keep Sango from hating the selfish son of a gun.

She turned toward the high school, and told herself to let go of her frustration. There was nothing she could do but patiently keep helping her father pay the loan off. Things would work out, that's what her mother always believed. She had lived a hard life with her own illness, but that had never stopped her from being happy. Sango determined to carry on that legacy, if for no other reason than to keep her father and her brother smiling.

* * *

"So," Sango asked Kagome at lunch, "Is this a thing now?"

Kagome looked up at her from her place in the grass. She was kneeling against the outside building of the archery range, a shady little spot where she thought Kikyo might spend her lunch period. People passed by and waved and smiled at her, but none of them came to join her. She was glad that keeping up her Kikyo act was easier than she had thought it would be, but on the other hand she was becoming very lonely at school. Is this what it was always like? Kikyo studying by herself, Kikyo eating by herself, Kikyo being polite and friendly to everyone else, with no friends to show for it? Maybe Kikyo preferred it that way. She'd never been one to seek attention or be warm and fuzzy, anyway.

Sango was the only person who ever stopped to talk to her. Now she stood over her, her lunch in her hand, looking down at Kagome with a curious expression.

"Is what a thing?" Kagome asked.

Sango silently nodded to the figure a few feet away. Kagome was sitting at the corner of the building, and right around on the other side was Inuyasha. He lounged back against the building, his hands behind his head and one leg propped up on the other. He was faced away from Kagome, sitting nearby but not too close, and had only said that he wasn't hungry when she asked him about lunch.

Frankly, Kagome wasn't sure how to answer Sango's question. She wasn't entirely sure why Inuyasha was there herself, but she wasn't complaining. It helped with the Kikyo disguise. Besides, it had made her smile. She hoped it meant she was forgiven and that they could be friends again. Maybe even better ones than they had been before.

She shrugged at Sango who then shook her head. "Well, ok. Anyway, I just thought I should warn you, Hojo's been talking with Eri and Yuka all morning about you."

"Oh?"

"He wants to bring you some homemade remedies his mom uses when he's sick, he thinks it'll help."

"Homemade remedies? Nothing like my Grandpa's, I hope," Kagome changed her tone when two girls walked by. "Tell him he's welcome anytime. I'm sure my little sister would appreciate it."

"Right," Sango said, with lided eyes, "I'm sure she would. Especially since Ayumi agreed to take him to your house today after school, since she wanted to bring the new Glee club music for the festival, and Eri wanted to tag along and show her the performance last week that she recorded that Kagome missed. Yuka and I won't be going, I'm afraid, because we have softball practice."

"What?" Kagome hissed. "They want to come over today? No! You have to talk them out of it!"

"Can't. They've been talking about it since last week, but since it's Monday and Kagome is still home sick, they thought it'd be a good idea to go. Maybe Kikyo can talk them out of it?"

"You know I can't! They'll recognize me for sure if they talk to me! Oh, no, what should I do?"

Inuyasha's voice drifted over, "Tell them you're an idiot who's been playing house in Kikyo's life."

"Shut up! I'm not doing that!" Kagome snapped.

"Ok, then tell them why you're really doing it. Aren't they supposed to be your friends or whatever?"

"Wait," Sango cut in, looking back and forth between them, "Did you tell Inuyasha?"

Immediately Kagome stiffened. She shook her head vigorously at Sango, who looked confused, but already Inuyasha was sitting up and leaning around the corner.

"Tell me what?" Inuyasha said with narrowed eyes. "Why you're impersonating my girlfriend and why you think it's so important that I can't know?"

Kagome laughed nervously. "Don't be silly, we already talked about this! It's just a big sister complex! It won't be forever."

With his eyes still narrowed he leaned back, disappearing behind the side of the building again.

Kagome gave Sango a silent look and Sango made an apologetic face back.

"Anyway," Sango continued, "Just thought I should warn you. Sorry I can't help out."

Kagome groaned. "It's ok. Thanks, Sango. You'd better go, though."

"Yeah, ok." With another glance at Inuyasha, Sango walked off to find their friends for lunch. Kagome watched her go a bit sad and hoped she wouldn't have to be Kikyo for much longer.

"Who's Hobo?" Inuyasha asked a minute later.

"Huh? Oh. Hojo is a friend of mine. You've met before."

"We have?"

"A few times, yeah. You don't remember?"

He didn't answer, and she wondered if he was trying to remember, or if he had lost interest. She let him be quiet, thinking to herself about what she was going to do with her friends. They would need to see Kagome sick to be convinced, but she would have to pull that off before her mother came home today and before her grandpa saw her. Geeze, what a mess.

When lunch was over she headed back into the school with a last look at Inuyasha and the archery range a few yards away. Kaede was there, tutoring younger students who must have been new to the club. They had bemoaned Kikyo's 'lost contacts' terribly, but it had allowed Kagome to successfully avoid having to go to practice for a while. Her lame bow skills would give her away for sure.

As she neared the entrance, she noticed a woman standing by the school door. She was obviously not a high school student. She was wearing a tight red pencil skirt and matching blazer. Her hair was in a loose side bun and her lips were the same blazing color as her outfit. A wooden fan in her hand tapped against her chin as she surveyed the high school students through her dark sunglasses. More than one high school boy blushed and tried to smile at her as they entered the school, but she ignored them all.

What was a woman like that doing around the school? She obviously wasn't a teacher. Someone from administration? That didn't seem right, either. She was still a ways off, but Kagome kept her head down anyway, trying to watch the woman out of the corner of her eye.

Then she smacked right into someone.

"Hey, there, Kikyo," Koga smiled down at her, putting a hand up against the building to block her way. "Still haven't gotten your new contacts?"

"Excuse me," Kagome said with a slight smile.

"Say, Kikyo, I've noticed your cute little sister hasn't been in school in a while. What gives, huh?"

Kagome started to roll her eyes but stopped herself. Kikyo almost never rolled her eyes. "Kagome has been out sick. Thank you for your concern."

"Out sick? Poor pup. Maybe a visit from ol' Koga will cheer her up, eh?" He gave her a wolfish grin, which Kagome ignored. She was used to Koga's flirtatious nature. He'd taken to Kagome over the past few months for some reason. Although she didn't think his advances were serious, she didn't mind him being around. He was nice enough, when he wasn't anywhere in the same vicinity as Inuyasha.

Kagome opened her mouth to politely tell him she, er, her little sister, was fine and needed no such thing. Before she could say anything, she suddenly found Inuyasha cutting in front of her. Where had he come from? Had he followed her from the archery range?

Koga straightened, his expression immediately turning sour. "What gives, putz? We were just talking."

"Take your 'talking' somewhere else, jerk," Inuyasha replied, returning the scowl.

"Chill, dog breath," Koga said, pushing away from the wall. "I wasn't making a move on Kikyo. We've already decided we're not each other's type." He winked at Kagome and she couldn't help but roll her eyes that time. "Her little sister, on the other hand…" He put a hand to his chest and sighed. "She's just too adorable to resist."

Inuyasha snorted. "How many times have I told you to stay away from her, dickface?"

"Since when are you Kagome's keeper, asswipe?"

She probably should have stopped their bickering, since with the two of them a friendly round of insults could explode into broken teeth like a match on a puddle of gasoline. But she had been caught off guard. She looked up at Inuyasha in surprise. He had told Koga to stay away from her? Why? When had the two of them had been talking about her alone? And Inuyasha hadn't liked Koga's interest? Well, there could be a million other factors, she was sure. Inuyasha hated Koga for breathing, let alone anything else. Still, she couldn't help the twinge in her chest, no matter how she tried to snuff it out.

She was brought back to the argument at hand when someone else joined them.

"What's this?" Miroku said, swinging an arm around Koga's shoulder. "My two besties are at it again, eh?"

"We're not besties," Koga and Inuyasha said at the same time, then glared at each other.

Their response didn't phase Miroku at all. He went on smiling pleasantly, his handsome face turning to Kagome. Miroku Monk wasn't as tall as Inuyasha or Koga, but he was even better looking. His uniform shirt was unbuttoned three down and his rich brown hair seemed to always be caught in a perpetual breeze. His eyes, Kagome was surprised to see, were a deep and intelligent blue.

"Good afternoon, Kikyo," He said. "As beautiful as ever."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and Kagome returned the serene smile. "Good afternoon, Miroku."

"Well, I think we've all had enough play time for one day, don't you?" Miroku asked her.

"Indeed," She responded, not sure what else to say.

"Let's head in, then, shall we?"

Koga shook Miroku's arm off and walked away with a huff. Inuyasha glared after him before turning to Kagome, who was looking up at him. "What?" He snapped.

"My, my, Inuyasha!" Miroku said. "Is that any way to talk to a lady?" He put an arm around Kagome to lead her toward the school. "Pay no attention to the brute, Kikyo. He's not so beastly as he seems."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Kagome replied with a sardonic smile.

"Hey!" Inuyasha complained as he walked beside her. "Look who's talking, Kago—"

She elbowed him, her smile at Miroku never faltering. Miroku just went right on smiling back.

This was the first time she'd ever spoken to Miroku. He didn't seem as bad as Sango was always making him out to be.

Except that his hand was creeping rather low on her waist. A chill crawled up her spine as she slowly turned to stare at him in scandal. Miroku just smiled back.

"Lech, what are you doing?" Inuyasha demanded, pulling Miroku away by pinching his cheek.

"Ow, ow! Heheh, I was only kidding, kidding!"

"Get the heck out of here, Monk." He tossed Miroku away.

"So rough, Inuyasha!" Miroku complained in a false tone of hurt. "Is that any way to treat your bestie?"

"You're not my bestie."

Miroku pouted, rubbing his cheek, and fell a few steps behind them.

"What the heck, Kagome," Inuyasha hissed to her as she kept walking. "Quit messing around with the likes of those idiots."

"_I'm_ messing around?" She whispered back harshly. "Don't be stupid, it's not my fault they wanted to talk to Kikyo!"

"That's my point, she's got a reputation, don't mess it up because you let yourself get sweet talked by a couple of morons."

"Sweet talked? Please. I've handled worse than them. I handle you, don't I?"

"What, you want Koga drooling all over you?"

"He wasn't drooling all over me. I'm Kikyo, remember?"

"Please. You couldn't be Kikyo in a million years."

The twinge in her chest came back, but this time it hurt.

They were very near the door now, and Kagome could see the woman in red looking in their direction. She swallowed, her recent paranoia returning at anything that could possibly be connected to the man Onigumo. But could someone connected to a criminal really be here, on school property, with students passing by them? She would hope that weren't possible, that there were authorities to make sure that didn't happen. But maybe he was smarter and more dangerous man than Kikyo gave him credit for.

_I'm Kikyo_, she thought toward the woman. _No need to look anywhere else. I won't let you find her. _She looked down at Inuyasha's hand that swung as he walked, thinking. This could backfire. And she didn't necessarily want to be doing it after what he had just said. But more than she was afraid of feeling like an idiot, she was afraid for Kikyo.

She carefully and casually reached out, sliding her fingers down his wrist until she found his hand to take hold of. Immediately he looked down at their hands, then at her.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" He said. But she didn't have time to check his face for anger or a blush, or even to blush herself. She smiled the way she had seen Kikyo smile at him and hoped the woman was watching.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Uh, you losing your entire friggin' mind, that's what's wrong. What is with you these days?"

She squeezed his hand, dropping her voice to a whisper. "Please, Inuyasha," She said, making sure he was the only one who could see the urgency on her face. "I'm sorry about all of this, I'm sorry about me, I'm sorry about Kikyo. It's for a reason, I promise, but I can't tell you what it is, even though I want to. _Please_, just help me."

He paused, searching her eyes and face in even greater confusion. She kept her grip on his tight, and tried walking forward, pulling him along. She returned the greeting of a fellow classmate who passed them, trying not to look as nervous as she felt. She kept her gaze off of the woman in red but she could feel the woman's gaze on her from behind her sunglasses.

Then Inuyasha's hand closed around hers. In surprise she looked down at his hand. It was much larger than hers, tough muscles and callouses covered in worn and tan skin. There were a few bruises on his knuckles from fights he was probably in last week when he had skipped school to avoid her. His grip was strong but careful, gentle. She took it all in, unable to fight off the wash of warmth that traveled up her arm at the touch of his skin against hers.

_No, no, no_, she yelled at herself. _You stupid, stupid girl! Stop everything that you're doing! Only think about Kikyo! That's probably all that he's thinking about! Stop being so stupidly excited, this is serious!_

She swallowed hard before daring to steal a glance at his face. He was looking back over his shoulder with a clenched jaw. She followed his gaze. They were inside the school now, and looking back she could see that the woman had watched them pass by and was still looking after them. Kagome bit her lip. That woman had to be sent by Onigumo. Why else would she be watching Kikyo so intently? The woman might have kept on staring if Miroku hadn't walked up to her then, obviously trying to flirt.

She looked up at Inuyasha, who was looking at her now. There was a question in his eyes but he didn't ask it out loud. They turned the corner, out of sight of the woman, and he let go of her hand. She inwardly screamed at herself for even having the thought that she was disappointed.

* * *

Sango packed her things into her bag as the rest of her team loudly chatted behind her. The coach was still yelling something, but it wasn't serious and hardly anyone was listening. Sango laughed at Yuka, who was groaning about how sore her arms were.

Swinging her bag over her shoulder, she wiped a drop of sweat off her forehead and pulled out her phone. Saying goodbye to her team she walked off the field, laughing out loud at a jumbled text Kagome had sent her about how she had narrowly avoided her family while convincingly acting like an invalid for Hojo, Eri, and Ayumi. It was all almost foiled by both their little brothers and their friend Shippo, who had walked in on her trying to rat her hair into bedhead. With an amused sigh Sango shook her head. She didn't envy Kagome right now. This business with Kikyo and the escaped psycho from prison was not an easy one. She wished there was more she could do, but what? She was a senior in high school with a team to train, finals to take, a father to support, martial arts classes to teach on the weekends, a sick brother to take care of, and a best friend to keep from being kidnapped or at least suspended from school. She could only do so much with how stretched thin she was.

The sun was hanging lower in the early fall sky, but there would still be plenty of light for her to walk home by. She tensed when she saw someone waiting against the fence at the edge of the field. With a groan she recognized Miroku Monk.

Pretending she hadn't seen him, she walked faster.

"Well, well, if it isn't Sango!" Miroku called, pushing off the fence and keeping up with her freakishly fast speed walking pace like it was normal. "Just who I was hoping to see."

"Stuff it, Monk, I don't have the energy to deal with you right now."

"Well, that's all right, Sango, I've got enough energy for the both of us! Want a piggy back ride home?"

"You wish, pervert."

"Pervert? I'm wounded."

"Good."

"And after I've come all this way out of concern for your friend, Kagome."

"You stay away from her! She might be too sick to fend you off, but I sure as heck won't have a problem breaking all your limbs."

"Sick? She looked perfectly healthy when I saw her today."

The stupid idiot, he probably didn't know the difference between Kikyo and Kagome, just like everyone else. Geeze, that ticked her off. Kagome deserved better than that. She deserved better than being confused for her sister constantly, better than being stuck running the shrine because Kikyo wanted to be a doctor, better than having a crush on that idiot who obviously couldn't see how awesome she was.

"Whatever, Miroku," She said, picking up the pace again.

"Tell me, is there a reason Kagome Higurashi is impersonating her sister?"

Sango stopped. She turned to him, only to be taken aback.

Miroku had stopped a few steps behind her, the yellow light of the lowering sun casting shadows on him. He was still smiling, but it wasn't normal. There was such a serious undercurrent, such a feeling of chilling danger, that any sarcastic remarks she might have had died inside her. Who was this Miroku? She had never seen him look like that before.

"And, if I might add a follow up question," He said, taking a purposeful step toward her and making her swallow, "What does it have to do with a man named Naraku?"

Her blood went cold.


	5. Up The Water Spout

A/N: Don't own.

* * *

Up The Water Spout

June

Inuyasha dropped his pencil to the desk, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands with a frustrated groan. He hated trigonometry. It was literally the worst of all the maths. And he usually didn't mind math—math made sense. Math was predictable, had rules, didn't require anything from him other than a formula. The only reason this was difficult for him now was because he had a tendency to skip class. Not anymore. Kikyo wouldn't stand for that. She probably wouldn't scold him, she never did, but she'd give him that cool look that meant she disapproved but wasn't saying so. That look gave him anxiety.

So, here he was, alone in the classroom after school, finishing up the assignment he had neglected last week. The teacher was even gone. They'd given him a few warning looks before packing up and saying they were leaving for the day and that he better behave himself. He'd only grunted in agreement. Geeze. He knew he wasn't exactly a model student, or a model human, for that matter, but that didn't mean he was a psycho who would ruin everything as soon as someone wasn't looking. He wasn't that self-destructive. Besides, if he broke anything at school, Sesshomaru would have to pay for it. Getting Sesshomaru involved always made him want to slam his face into a brick wall. Which Sesshomaru would probably enjoy watching, sipping his coffee like the prat he was.

Resting his chin on a fist he looked out the window at the blue sky. Summer was only a month away. He had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, he wouldn't have to deal with school for a few weeks. On the other hand, he wouldn't see Kikyo every day. And he'd probably have to gear up for some run-ins with Bankotsu and his idiotic gang. They were bound to run into each other on the street, since Inuyasha sure as heck wouldn't be hanging around at home while Sesshomaru was there. He'd rather fight Bankotsu than Sesshomaru. Even Kikyo couldn't keep him from those fights, no matter how coolly she looked at him. Or how loudly her little sister scolded him. She was such a loud mouth, and for some reason she took it upon herself to follow him around and pester him about his stupid life decisions.

A movement on the field caught his attention. The track team was out practicing, and several students ran around the edges of the green grass. In the center, the rest of the track team was doing jumps or practicing discus. He watched them aimlessly for a moment before he recognized the girl stepping up to throw the circular disk. Speak of the devil. It was Kagome, he could tell, even from this far away. There was no mistaking her dark hair and overly-expressive body language. She was always all facial expressions and waving hands and head tilts. What was she doing out there? She wasn't on the track team. Then again, she wasn't in the AV club, either, and he'd seen her with them last week. What was she up to? Evidently, track wasn't her forte. She managed to get the discus into the air but it went far askew and everyone panicked as it neared the coaches head.

Inuyasha let out a snort of laughter as the discus bonked right into the coach and Kagome threw her hands to her head in horror. There was no one there to see him so he didn't bother hiding the smirk on his face as he watched her bow several times to the coach in apology. Idiot. But when she wasn't getting on his nerves and when no one else was around, she could make him laugh. Not that he'd ever let her know that, but it was kind of nice. He didn't laugh often.

"Aren't they adorable?"

Inuyasha whipped around to find Miroku leaning against a desk a few feet behind him, watching out the window, too.

"Running around in their gym shorts. Wouldn't you agree they're the cutest?" Miroku smiled at him.

"Where the heck did you come from?" Inuyasha demanded.

"What, me? I've been here ten minutes at least." He pushed off the desk to come stand by Inuyasha's. He watched the track team as Inuyasha looked up at him with some interest. For a loud, flirtatious guy Miroku sure could sneak around.

"What are you doing here?" Inuyasha asked.

"I was passing by and came in to talk to you. I've been meaning to ask you something for weeks."

"Oh, yeah?" Inuyasha gave him a sidelong look. "What's that?"

Suddenly, Miroku became serious. He leaned a hand on Inuyasha's desk while putting the other up to run through his hair. "Well, you see, I was wondering," He put a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Will you be my mentor?"

Inuyasha's mind went blank. "What?"

"My mentor! Will you mentor me?"

"In…math?"

Miroku laughed. "Oh, no, haha, that's a good one, no I meant girls! Teach me how to get a girl like you!"

Now he was sure Miroku was making fun of him. Or he was high.

"Oh, dear," Miroku said, "You're looking at me like you just ate a very nasty bug."

"Girls? What the heck are you going on about, Monk?"

"You! Kikyo!" He turned away, clasping his hands together and looking at the ceiling dreamily. "I mean it's so obviously an impossible match that you must be an expert in the ways of wooing women. I must admit, Inuyasha, I never would have pegged you as that kind of man, but, hey, you're not fooling anyone now! You must be a genius. So, are you going to be my mentor? Are you going to teach me your ways? Eh?" He put his hands on his hips with a wide smile.

Inuyasha's eye twitched in irritation.

"Is that a yes?"

Inuyasha stood, gathering his homework. "That's a 'hell no'."

"Come on, you have to tell me! What did you say to Kikyo? What did you do? Was it all right away, or did you wear her down over time? How can I date a fierce and beautiful girl like that?"

"You can date whoever you want, for all I care," Inuyasha said, shooting him a disgusted look, "You're never lacking from female attention, right?" Miroku was a notorious playboy. Inuyasha could never understand how a jerk like that could still be so highly liked by his peers. And here he was, everyone hating him, and all he'd ever done was yell at a few people and punch a few faces. Whatever. He usually just avoided the idiot, anyway.

"Oh, you've noticed!" Miroku said proudly. "Thank you!" Inuyasha ignored him, stuffing his things into his backpack and walking toward the door. Miroku went on yapping, "You're right, I can date anyone. Who should I win over next? There's Miyuki? Tsubara? That new first year is cute, what's her name? Yotsuma something? Maybe Sarasa Deidaka? Oh, there's always Kagome, too."

Inuyasha stopped in the doorway, his hand on the frame. He looked back at Miroku, who was watching out the window with a finger on his chin. That idiot Kagome was probably being her usual annoying, endearing self out there. Miroku turned his smile to Inuyasha.

"She's cute, too, though she's different from Kikyo. Say, do you think you could hook me up? You know her, right?"

"Fat chance," Inuyasha snorted. "Stay away from her." He walked out the door.

"Oh, come now," Miroku said, following him into the hallway. "I admit it's cute that you're protective of your girlfriend's little sister, but I assure you there's no need to worry about me! I'd never hurt her! Kiss her maybe, definitely hold her gently, you know how that goes, I'm sure! So, how about it? You, Kikyo, me, Kagome, double date? I promise we'll leave you two alone when you need it if you do the same for us, if you know what I mean, eh?" He elbowed Inuyasha playfully in the side, but Inuyasha's anger had already spiked exponentially.

He reached out to grab Miroku by the jacket and said in his darkest, most threatening voice, which he usually reserved only for his brother, "I said stay away from her. Got it?"

Miroku stared back at him with raised eyebrows, his smile gone. Then he cocked his head, his eyes turning calculating as he gazed back into Inuyasha's vehement amber eyes. A calm smile slowly returned to Miroku's face as he lifted both hands in surrender.

"Alright," He said, "I get it. The Higurashi's are off limits."

Inuyasha dropped his jacket and kept on down the hall, not liking the way Miroku watched him like he knew everything about him.

_That guy_, He thought warily with a last look at the playboy, _Is different._

: : :

* * *

August

There was something odd going on here, but Inuyasha had yet to figure out what. Since he had seen the sheer look of desperation on Kagome's face when she asked for his help, he hadn't bothered her once to tell him what the heck she was doing. Instead, he clammed up and settled for watching.

Kikyo had been weird for weeks. She had always been quiet, but in the days leading up to her sudden departure for Kotsui she had been distracted, spacey even. That certainly wasn't like her.

Kagome was the opposite. She had always been a carefree girl, easy to laugh and smile, but since she had been posing as Kikyo she had been reserved and on high alert. Every time they walked outside the school or passed by windows, her eyes were searching. For what? He wasn't sure. He had seen the woman in red twice more since they had passed her the first time. She wasn't on campus again, but around the edges, waiting under a shady tree, in the backseat of a black car. Whoever she was, she made Kagome nervous, and he didn't like it.

His theories were becoming complex, although he didn't really think any of them could be true. Kikyo had been recruited as a secret agent. Kagome was involved in gang activity and was on the lam. Kikyo was secretly engaged to a foreign prince she didn't want anyone to know about. Kagome was slowly losing her mind and the woman in red was a doctor. Kikyo and Kagome were both clones—Kikyo's field testing was done, so she had been taken away, and now the woman in red was observing Kagome's transition into Kikyo's life.

They were all stupid theories. Kagome had assured Inuyasha a dozen times that Kikyo was fine and that she had no clue what Kagome was up to. So there was only one thing that Inuyasha was sure of—it was Kagome who was in trouble.

Idiot girl, what had she gotten herself into? She wasn't malicious in any way, except perhaps towards him, so if there was trouble then it must have come from her being in the wrong place at the wrong time. If there was one thing he knew how to handle well, it was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. His life seemed to be a continuation of that particular statement. This was one thing he was an expert on, and he wished more than once that Kagome would just talk to him.

She knew that he was still trying to figure it out. But she just kept giving him the same apologetic smile and thanking him for not blowing her cover. Even though he wanted to. The sisters looked enough as it was, he didn't like constantly thinking he saw Kikyo out of the corner of his eye only to be startled when it was Kagome. She wasn't a great actress, but it didn't take a lot to fool the student body. Still, fake smiles didn't look right on Kagome. Inuyasha was glad when Sango was around, or when it was just him and Kagome at lunch or in the library, that she would act like herself.

But this, this was not her acting like Kikyo or herself. Nor was Sango acting like herself. Inuyasha was in the same grade as Sango and knew for a fact that she hated Miroku Monk. So why had she come whispering to Kagome and dragged her away to an empty classroom with Miroku? Inuyasha couldn't help but follow suspiciously.

Now he stood just outside the door, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. It was lunch, so hardly anyone was inside, and if a student did pass he didn't even need to glare at them. They just scooted away from him as quickly as possible. There were some perks for having a terrible reputation.

He strained his ears but could only hear muffled voices beyond the door. What he wouldn't give for bionic hearing right now. He growled to himself, startling a couple young girls who were walking by. What the hell? Why was Miroku of all people in on this when Inuyasha wasn't? Wasn't he Kagome's friend or whatever? Hadn't he known her way longer? Why was she going to Miroku before him? What could Miroku possible help her with?

* * *

Kagome looked back and forth between Sango and Miroku. Miroku looked serious, and Sango was biting her lip. She obviously believed Miroku, which in and of itself was a red flag that this was really happening.

She looked back down at the file folder in front of her. There were a few pictures: two far away shots of the woman in red that she had seen the last couple days, and one of a man in a hospital bed with burn scars and bandages all over his face. Along with the pictures was a stack of papers with typing and handwritten notes in the margins—a court transcript, it looked like—and a small business card with the words "Naraku: Consultant" on the front, and nothing but a phone number on the back.

"So, this woman," Kagome said, trying to digest what she'd been told, "Kagura Wasanabi. She works for Naraku? And Naraku…works for Onigumo?"

"It's probably the other way around," Miroku answered. "At the very least they work together."

"Ok. Tell me again who Naraku is?"

"Well, I didn't tell you the first time. No one knows. Anyone in the business has heard his name, though—it's tied to dozens of conspiracies, drug trafficking, company bankruptcies," He glanced at Sango, who huffed angrily, "But no one's ever seen his face. If you did, you'd be a national hero."

"And Kagura Wasanbi is…?"

"His lawyer. More like his lackey. Even for shady lawyers she's particularly bad, but she gets the job done—she got Onigumo's sentence down to a few petty thefts and only a year two years jail time."

"But he's done more than that?"

"Has a thing for arson, mostly. That picture of him in the hospital was after he burned down a ma and pa store with the family still inside about five years ago. No one could prove it was him so he got off easy." Miroku looked away in disgust.

"So…this is a gang?"

"In layman's terms, I guess you could call it that. Highly organized and definitely not scrounging around dark alleys, but, sure. Except that they have this web of control and chaos stretched throughout the country and possibly further, and Naraku's sitting in the middle of it like a fat, hungry spider pulling all the strings."

Kagome crinkled her nose, sharing a worried look with Sango.

"Ok. And my sister's involved in all this?"

"Not really. As far as I can tell from what Sango's told me, Onigumo's interest in her is basic but genuine. Genuinely creepy, anyway. But I don't think she really knew who she was dealing with."

Kagome put a hand up to push a hair out of her face, only to realize her fingers were shaking a little. "She's really in danger, isn't she?"

Sango looked at Miroku, who shook his head. "It's not just her. And from what research I've done on the Kotsui medical program, Kikyo was right. It is a safe place. For now. You should worry more about yourself, Kagome. I don't think you should keep up this act anymore."

"What? You think I should stop?" She frowned. "How can I stop? Then they'd know for sure that Kikyo's run away and this psychopath would probably chase her to Sapporo and burn the hospital down! No, I'm not quitting. For now it's fine, and they think Kikyo is where she should be."

"Kagome—" Sango started, but Kagome stopped her.

"Onigumo…'wants' Kikyo, right? Kikyo said he wouldn't hurt her. So I'll keep it up so long as we think it's throwing them off her trail." She sounded braver than she felt. This was becoming messier by the second. She wondered just what exactly Onigumo wanted from Kikyo and what he was willing to do to get it. "In the meantime, what can we do? I don't know if Kikyo was just planning on waiting it out or what, but from what you're saying I don't think it'll be that easy."

"No, I doubt it will." Miroku said sadly.

"For any of us," Sango added, rubbing her arm. Kagome knew Sango must be thinking of her own sibling. Who knew that this group of people would be affecting both of their lives so suddenly and so fully?

"So!" Miroku said, his cheerful smile returning as he clapped his hands together. "In the meantime, we all need to be careful. No one talk to Kagura Wasanabi if you see her around, or go anywhere sketchy downtown. Everyone keep an eye and an ear out for anything that could be useful. I've been trying to do it myself for ages, but this is the first time I've met others who are in contact with Naraku who are willing to talk about it."

"This is your father's work?" Kagome asked, inspecting the contents of the folder one last time before closing it and handing it to Miroku.

"Some of it. Most if it is my own research." Miroku said, taking it carefully. "A lot of the original files were suspiciously lost from the station, and everything else my father wasn't allowed to take with him when he left. He wasn't too happy about that, especially since this was the case that broke him." He was smiling, but it wasn't warm.

Kagome stood carefully, feeling like her shoulders were heavier than they had been before. She followed Sango and Miroku as they headed out the door.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, Kagome," Sango was saying, "I told Miroku I wanted to be sure before we told you anything." She turned to Miroku with a smile. "Who knew you were so helpful, Miroku? I never would have expected you to have a detective's head like your dad."

"Thank you, Sango," Miroku said as he opened the door for them. "It's an honor to help two such beautiful ladies."

Kagome saw him reaching for Sango's butt but before he could say anything Sango whirled on him. She winced as Sango yelled, "_Pervert_!", smacked him in the face, and then chucked him out the door.

"Ow, Sango, so harsh!" Miroku said, picking himself off the floor with a hand to his cheek. "After all I've done for you?"

"If this is your price, then I'm not paying!" She huffed and turned away, only to freeze. "Inuyasha."

Kagome's chest constricted. Inuyasha? She quickly stepped forward and looked into the hall. Inuyasha was less than two feet away from the door. Had he heard their conversation? But with one look at his face she knew he couldn't have. He wasn't flying off the handle or looking vicious. He just looked at them all with an annoyed glare.

"Having fun at your new club meeting?" He said scathingly.

"Oh, so much fun!" Miroku said, draping an arm around Sango as if there wasn't a flaming red handprint on his face. He grinned at her, not seeming to notice that she was scowling at him.

"Touch me again, Monk," She said darkly, "And I'll break that pretty face of yours so bad that girls will never look at you again."

Still smiling, Miroku let go of her and took three steps back. Sango stomped down the hallway, saying to Kagome, "I'll see you later, Kago—er, Kikyo."

Miroku followed her friend, with a last careful look at Inuyasha and a wink at Kagome. "Take care, Kikyo. Keep in mind what we talked about."

"Ok," Kagome replied, ignoring Inuyasha's heated gaze on the back of her head. When Miroku was gone she looked at Inuyasha then sighed heavily.

"What's that reaction?" He scoffed. "My face tire you out?"

"No, that's not it," She said, heading down the hallways with heavy feet. "I just have a lot on my mind, is all. Tons of homework." Which was true. Keeping up with her and Kikyo's homework was killing her. Kikyo's grades were slipping, and Kagome was basically flunking, but those were the least of her worries.

"Care to talk about what you three were up to in there?" Inuyasha asked, falling into step beside her with his hands in his pockets.

"Just stuff. I had some questions about an assignment."

He snorted, and she knew he probably wasn't buying it, but he didn't pry further, which she was grateful for. She hadn't quite swallowed all the new information she had received, but so far it wasn't sitting well in her stomach. Never in a million years would she have thought something like this would happen in her life.

Lunch was nearly over, and soon the school would be filling with students again. For now, the halls were still pretty empty. She glanced over at Inuyasha, who was glaring at nothing in particular, as usual. But he wasn't glaring at her. She smiled. He had been surprisingly accommodating the last few days. She wasn't sure if he was hanging around her because he had decided to help with her Kikyo sharade, or if it was because he had actually accepted her as a friend from their conversation last Friday. Either way, he was being more help and more comfort to her than anyone probably thought a person like Inuyasha capable of.

"Inuyasha," She said quietly, just in case anyone walked by. His golden brown eyes flicked to her and she smiled. "I know this is all probably hard for you, and I don't mean to be bothering you so much. But thank you, Inuyasha," She reached out and touched his arm lightly, trying to convey her gratitude in the simple action. "I appreciate everything more than you know."

She pulled away, not wanting to make him uncomfortable, only to be taken off guard when his hand shot out to grab her upper arm. He pulled her a step closer to the wall, his eyes looking down the hall for potential eavesdroppers. She looked up at him with wide eyes as he lowered his face far too close to hers.

"Kagome, if you're in some kind of trouble you can tell me," He said in a low voice, his eyes boring into hers. "I hate just sitting by, alright? If you need my help, just say so. I'll be there."

He was in earnest, she could tell. Well, it was hard not to be able to tell because he was very, very close. At his words she could feel the tightness on her heart and the heaviness on her shoulders more than ever, and the truth almost exploded from her chest. She wanted to hug him, touch his face, reach up and kiss him. With him this close she felt like that would be so, so easy. Then the thought popped into her head that those were Kikyo's lips to kiss, Kikyo's arms to hide behind, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

She turned the wince into a smile and said, "I know. Thank you, Inuyasha." Then she stepped out of his grasp and continued walking, trying very hard not to look at him, and even harder not to cry out all the stresses that were currently plaguing her life. His footsteps echoed in the silent hall as he followed.

* * *

He didn't want to go downstairs, but his stomach was demanding it. Dang it, why couldn't he put a mini fridge in his room like he wanted to? "It'll ruin the carpet," Sesshomaru had said. Whatever. That was just his excuse to keep Inuyasha from having what he wanted.

With an annoyed groan he flung his textbook aside. It's not like he was using it anyway. More like he had attempted to do homework to distract himself from thinking about Kikyo or her stupid little sister and what she was up to. It hadn't worked, so he'd ended up watching the sun slowly set out his window, music playing loudly through his headphones. All this weirdness was messing with his head. Stupid Kagome. He'd even spat out what he'd been trying to say for two days, that he'd help her if she needed it, even if he'd been a little more intense than he'd meant to. He wasn't good with that kind of stuff, and he hadn't really known how to go about it. As a result he'd ended up grabbing her a little too rough and getting way too up in her personal space. She probably hadn't noticed, though, since she apparently didn't have any personal space and was always getting into his. Still, he had noticed. With Kikyo it was different—being close to Kikyo or touching her was safe and reliable. Touching Kagome was like getting too close to an open flame. He could only handle it for extremely brief amounts of time. Sheesh. That girl was weird.

He pushed himself off his bed and headed for the door. He almost left his phone and headphones on his bed, then decided not to. If he was wearing headphones and Sesshomaru happened to be in the kitchen, then he wouldn't be able to hear whatever stupid things Sesshomaru would judge him for today. Besides, he hadn't dropped the habit of checking his phone a hundred times a day just in case Kikyo had called or texted him. That would be a hard one to get over.

He pounded as loudly down the stairs as he could, hoping Sesshomaru was doing something important that he could distract him from. His brother wasn't in the kitchen, thankfully, so he headed to the fridge to rummage around. He had just pulled the milk out of the fridge and was drinking from the carton when something caught his eye. He glanced down to see a little girl standing next to him, staring up at him.

He looked at her. She looked back. Then she smiled.

"What the hell?" He said, barely able to hear his own voice over the music. "Where did you come from? You can't just wander into other people's houses, kid."

She said something back, which he couldn't hear.

Sesshomaru walked by the kitchen then. For half brothers, they didn't look very much alike. Sesshomaru was tall and slender, while Inuyasha was more broad shouldered and carried more muscle. Sesshomaru's skin was lighter, his face was more pointy, and his hair was so pale it was almost silver. He had an affinity for gray suits, and instead of Inuyasha's usual heated scowl he wore a cold, hard expression. The only thing they did share were the same golden brown eyes that their father had.

With Sesshomaru was a woman that Inuyasha immediately recognized. She was in a darker red skirt and blazer and wasn't wearing sunglasses, but she was undoubtedly the same woman Inuyasha had seen near the school the past few days. Inuyasha's question about the girl in the kitchen died as he looked at his brother and the woman. They both looked back at him unconcernedly, then said something to each other that he couldn't hear. She turned down the hall toward the front door, and Inuyasha yanked the earbud out of his ear.

"Hey, lady," He said gruffly before she could leave, "Isn't this your kid?"

She looked back at him coolly, lifting her purse over her shoulder. "No." Then she walked away, Sesshomaru following to close the door behind her.

A second later Sesshomaru came back to the kitchen doorway. "Rin," He said to the girl, "Go to bed."

"Ok!" She said cheerfully.

Sesshomaru's eyes flicked up to Inuyasha, then back to Rin. "Don't listen to anything Inuyasha says. He's a bad influence." Then he walked away.

"Ok!" Rin said again. She smiled up at Inuyasha one last time, then skipped out of the kitchen.

Inuyasha stood with the milk in his hand, music playing in one ear, confused as heck and wondering how on earth his brother might fit into his theories about Kagome's mysterious situation.


	6. Feeding Needs

A/N: No

* * *

Feeding Needs

February

Kagome left the kettle on the stove before hurrying to switch her slippers for shoes. It was sunny outside, but it was deceptive—winter wasn't over yet, and the bitter wind liked to remind her of that. She pulled her sweater tightly around her as she slid open the back door.

Hurrying across the cobblestoned courtyard, she passed under the large tree that loomed over the old shrine house. The tree was sacred, supposedly, but Kagome only saw it as an old member of the family. It's leaves swayed in the breeze, shadows dancing over her as she reached the old storehouse on the edge of the property. Her grandfather kept all sorts of junk and objects in the storehouse, everything from ancient samurai swords to huckster signs they used during festivals to attract people to the shrine. She coughed in the old musky smell before shoving aside a jar of pickled radishes and a noh mask to find a box of her father's favorite tea. They usually kept it well stocked, more because it reminded everyone of their father than because they liked it. She took the box carefully and left the storehouse.

On her way back, a patch of red at the base of the sacred tree caught her eye. She stopped. It was a person, sitting on the ground and leaning against the trunk. What on earth? Weren't they freezing out here? Perhaps it was a homeless person. It wouldn't be the first time—people often sought refuge at the shrine when they had nowhere to go. She crossed over to them.

"Hey, can I help you?" She called. They didn't answer, and as she got closer she could see they were asleep. Her first thought was that it was a girl in a red jacket and long black hair, but even before she was standing over them she realized it was a boy. His jeans were worn and his red jacket didn't look warm enough for anyone to sleep outside in during February. Yet he was sleeping soundly, his hands stuffed in his pockets, his dark bangs shadowing his face.

Kagome crouched down beside him, quietly reaching out to tap his arm. He didn't stir, of course, and she should have tried harder, but something stopped her.

He looked so peaceful. Leaning back against the bark of the tree, he was completely at ease. The wind that ruffled both their hair didn't seem to bother him one bit. He looked familiar. Had she seen him before? Maybe, although she thought she would remember someone so beautiful. And he was beautiful, in the way that mountains and forest streams and the wild were beautiful. She wondered what color his eyes were. Before thinking, she had reached forward to carefully move the hair from his forehead.

Then her mother called her name from the house. The boy shifted. Mortified, Kagome immediately stood and hurried to the house. _How embarrassing!_ She thought, _Staring at some strange boy while he slept! Thank goodness he didn't wake up! _

"Did you get the tea, dear?" Asako asked when Kagome reached her.

Kagome handed her the box. "Mom, there's a boy here, asleep under the tree."

"A boy?" Asako looked. The boy was awake now and standing, his red jacket and dark hair obvious in the sunlight as he stretched. "Oh, my, there is a boy."

Shoving his hands back in his pockets, the boy glanced around the yard, pausing when he saw Kagome and her mother near the house.

_Is he looking at me?_ Kagome wondered as the wind picked up again, blowing through their hair.

"Ah," Said Kikyo, appearing in the doorway with a coat on, "Inuyasha's still here, is he?"

_Inuyasha._ Kagome knew that name. She'd heard it a hundred times at school, always connected to some sort of astonishing story. She'd seen him from afar a few times as he wandered the school alone, but never up close. She looked back at the boy in the yard, wondering how he could be the same person as the frightening figure she had seen skulking around the school.

"Is that the young man you told me about?" Asako asked as Kikyo slipped on her shoes.

"Yes," Kikyo said. "We recently started dating."

"Dating!" Kagome turned to stare at her sister. "What, you didn't tell me you were seeing someone!"

"Sorry, Kagome," She said with a small smile, "I promise I'll introduce you soon. He's a bit…wary of people, though."

"Sounds like a dog, not a person," Sota said, appearing behind his mother with a sandwich in his hand.

"Sota," their mother warned as Kikyo walked across the courtyard to meet the strange boy.

"Just saying. You know him, Kagome?"

Kagome watched Kikyo reach the boy. She said something to him, which he responded to but Kagome was too far away to hear. Kikyo headed for the stairs and the boy, Inuyasha, glanced one last time at the family in the doorway. The peace was gone from his face—his gaze was hard and narrow. Why? How could both of those expressions exist on the same face? She didn't understand why, but her gaze was drawn after him as he descended the steps behind her sister.

"No," She said after a minute, "I don't know him."

: : :

* * *

September

Kikyo didn't call the first time that she was supposed to. Kagome had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, she worried. Kikyo had sent a brief message from her new school's email explaining that she had gotten there safely and everything was going well, but she wouldn't be able to call home that weekend. So, hoping that everything was actually how Kikyo had said, the other hand had Kagome feeling relieved. Relieved, because if Kikyo had called home, Kagome would have had to invite Inuyasha because he would have wanted to talk to her, and that, she selfishly knew, would have bothered her. So, she had avoided it for another two weeks.

She was becoming much more comfortable in her roll as Kikyo. By the end of the third week, she was remembering people's names and finding her way to her classes. She rejected a few boys whose love letters had made her blush, and she stopped Inuyasha and Koga from fighting more than once, although she could do nothing about it when they had gym together. She just reprimanded Inuyasha privately about his bruises and cuts after the fact, much to his chagrin. Miroku checked in on her now and then, asking if she had received any more notes from Onigumo, but everything had been quiet on that front. She hoped that was a good sign. She was able to drop the lost contact act soon enough, and was even beginning to make some friends among Kikyo's peers. It was, she thought, easier for her to disappear into Kikyo's life than she had thought. Of course. She was her sister's shadow, after all. Just Kikyo Jr.

As for Kagome, she was perpetually "sick". Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi were beginning to be very worried, and bombarded her phone with concerned texts and phone calls. Hojo was almost as bad, and she had to bribe Sota twice to answer the door and tell the boy she was too sick to get out of bed. Her mother gave her sly looks and asked if she was over the kindhearted classmate. Kagome admitted she felt that they were better as just friends. Her grandfather said if she was really feeling ill he could slip a mummified hand in her bed to help, which she quickly declined. As for her grades, they were becoming atrocious. If they became any worse the school might call her mother, and then she'd be in trouble.

So as it was, at the beginning of the fourth week from Kikyo's departure, Kagome was forced to call in sick for Kikyo and go to school as herself.

"This is truly a miraculous recovery!" Hojo exclaimed when he saw her in class. "Why, just two days ago you were so ill you couldn't get out of bed!"

"Heh heh, yeah, it sure is amazing!" Kagome said, pulling out a stack of assignments she had done at home over the last couple weeks.

"What good timing!" Yuka said, "Since it's midterms today and all."

"Yeah, what good luck!" She didn't feel very lucky, though. She spent the next several hours in a tense silence as her classmates' pencils seemed to fly across their exam papers. Struggling from question to question, she made it just in time before the bell rang.

"This is giving me an ulcer," She told Sango on the way to lunch.

"No kidding, hun, I can see it now," She poked Kagome in the side. "I have to say, though, it's really good to have you back, you know, as you."

Kagome returned her smile. "Yeah, it's nice to be me again."

"So does Kikyo have the flu? I have to get my stories straight in case anyone asks."

"A light cold. She'll be back to school tomorrow or the next day, probably. I, however, have spent a lot of energy today and may be feeling a bit more tired and sick than I had expected by the end of today. I might have to take the rest of the week off."

Sango giggled. "Did you ever think we'd be the kind of girls to plan our own lies for skipping school?"

"Please," Kagome said with a grin, "If we had ever tried this before Kikyo would have turned us both in for sure."

"She's a stick in the mud sometimes," Sango replied good-naturedly.

It was raining outside again, so most of the students had wandered in to the cafeteria. Sango went to buy food while Kagome sat down to open the homemade lunch her mother had left for her. She glanced around at her fellow students and wondered if any of them would look at her strangely. Maybe not—maybe Kikyo and Kagome were just becoming one in the same in the eyes of the populace. Then she wondered if any of them might be spying for Onigumo. Who knows? Miroku had said to stay on her toes. He said anyone could be vulnerable to a bribe or a threat from someone who worked for Naraku.

With a sigh she looked down at her lunch and decided not to worry about it. Thinking about it too much just made her stressed, which she didn't like. Especially when she had a math test coming up next.

A thud on the top of her head startled her. She looked up to see a notebook and a few papers on top of her head.

"Hey," Inuyasha said from behind her, "So Jr.'s back in school today, is she?"

It had been a while since he had called her Jr., but instead of getting on his case about it she let it slide. It was better than him calling her Kikyo, like he had to most days.

"What's this?" She asked, pulling the notebook and paper from his hand.

"Kikyo's homework," He said. "Someone gave it to me, figuring I might see her today and be able to give it to her."

"Well, I can do that for you." She smiled up at him.

"Right," He said dryly.

She patted the seat next to her.

"What?" He said.

"Aren't you gonna eat lunch with me?"

"Uh, no."

"Oh, yeah? You have someone else you're gonna go hang out with?" She replied sarcastically. He _hmphed_ and started walking away. She said casually, "Suit yourself. That'll leave room for Koga at the table, anyway."

It was only a split second before the chair next to her scooted out and Inuyasha plopped into it. She beamed at him, which he ignored.

"There, you see?" She said sweetly. "What's the harm, anyway? We're friends, aren't we?"

He _hmphed_ again, glancing around the lunchroom. Now that she thought about it, she had never seen Inuyasha eat in the lunchroom. He generally ate with Kikyo, but if she wasn't around then he slunk off by himself. She just smiled as she watched him nervously glare around at the students nearby. He caught her gaze.

"What?"

"Nothing."

With a last wary look at her he pulled the top off the instant ramen had had just bought. A second later Sango sat across from them. She looked at Inuyasha and then Kagome with raised eyebrows. "Oh, hey, Inuyasha."

"Hey."

Ayumi came next, plopping a heavy notebook in front of Kagome. "There you go, Kagome, my complete notes for the last two units of algebra!"

Kagome swallowed the rice in her mouth hard before slowly reaching out to flip open the book. "Oh my gosh, there's so much!"

"Well, you did miss three weeks of school."

"What did you expect?" Sango said.

Yuko dropped her lunchbox across from Inuyasha, who looked up at her as though she had just crossed into his territory. She didn't pay him any attention. "You did the assignments we brought you, right?"

"Well, yeah, of course," Kagome said, looking at the math notes and wishing the information could just soak through her fingertips into her brain. "That doesn't mean I remember everything, though."

"Kagome," Eri said, sitting beside her. She put an arm around her shoulder, pushing Kagome into Inuyasha and causing him to spill his ramen a little bit. He glared at Eri, who was too busy saying to Kagome, tears in her eyes, "You missed the drama finals! Fujihara played the page boy, but it just wasn't the same without you!"

"I'm sorry, Eri," Kagome said, apologetically. She began nodding as Eri described the tragic final scene, but really she was focusing on the math notes.

"So, Inuyasha," Sango said with a sly smile, "How's Kikyo feeling? Will she be back tomorrow?"

"Huh? Uh," He glanced at Kagome, who was too busy to offer him any help. "She's fine."

"That's good," Sango said with a sardonic smile, to which Inuyasha gave her the stink eye.

"You two are a pretty interesting pair, huh? But I mean, she's hot and you're hot, so I guess it makes sense," Yuka said bluntly, which made Inuyasha drop his noddles back into his cup.

Kagome, despite the math in front of her and Eri tearing up next to her, tried to listen to the conversation happening next to her.

"I don't think it's odd," Ayumi said, clasping her hands together, "I think it's sweet. A classic tale of bad boy meets good girl, right?"

"This isn't Grease," Yuka said, her mouth full.

"Grease?" Asked Inuyasha.

"Don't worry about it. But, hey, you two seem to be getting pretty cozy lately."

"Why do you say that?" Ayumi asked.

Yuka shrugged. "Oh, you know. Plus, I saw them in the library the other day. They looked all cute and were bickering about something."

"Ah, yes," Ayumi said, a hand to her cheek. "They say couples who fight are really close."

Kagome's eye twitched.

"It's not the fighting that's good, it's being able to make up afterwards that's good," Yuka said.

Kagome slowly craned her neck to look at Inuyasha. He was slurping his ramen loudly, tangible irritation coming off of him as the girls continued to talk about him as though he weren't a reputable bad boy able to reduce them to a pulp. His fight or flight instincts might have been kicking in—he looked like he might bolt from the room or flip a table any second. _Oh, geeze_, Kagome thought, _I should have known. He's not used to people. _

"Hey, Kagome!"

Kagome blinked as Hojo sat down on Inuyasha's other side, putting an elbow on the table to lean around the older boy and smile at her.

"The hell?" Inuyasha said to the newcomer, in a "how dare he sit near me" tone.

Normally, that look would have made anyone get up immediately and walk away. Hojo just smiled at him. "Oh, hello, Inuyasha!"

"Who the heck are you?"

Hojo laughed. "My name's Hojo, second year. We've met before, but that's all right!" He clapped Inuyasha on the shoulder, but received such a cold glare for it that he quickly withdrew his hand. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, Kagome, I brought you this." He put a bottle of green juice on the table. "It's a health drink, it should give you energy and restore your natural electrolytes."

"Oh, thanks, Hojo," Kagome said. "That's really nice of you."

"Of course! I—I mean, _we_ want you to be feeling back to your normal self! We don't want you missing school, and the fall festivals will be coming up soon." He smiled at her so warmly she could feel it even over Inuyasha, who was putting up a solid barrier of ice between them. Finally, Hojo stood. "I'll bring you more juice tomorrow, Kagome. Gotta keep up your strength!" He walked away and Kagome sighed.

"Oooh, Kagome, that boy has it for you so bad," Yuka said with glint in her eye. "You should have seen how worked up he was the whole time you were out sick."

"He's a nice friend…" Kagome started, feeling Inyasha's eyes slide to her. She wished he weren't there anymore.

"Nice friend my butt!" Eri said. "He didn't come to my house three times when I was out sick a couple months ago!"

"Well, it doesn't matter," Ayumi said in her soft voice, "Kagome doesn't like him. She likes someone else now, remember?"

"Erk!" Kagome said. She looked at Sango, who was uncharacteristically silent during the conversation. She shared the same uncomfortable look after a quick glance at Inuyasha. Kagome laughed too loudly and pulled the math notes back in front of her. "Let's get back to algebra, shall we? Now, how do I do this right?" She began pouring over the notes, pulling out a pencil to work through some of them on her own. Her friends laughed before Sango mercifully changed the subject. Inuyasha just ate quietly and tensely.

Then Miroku sat next to him.

"_The hell_?" Inuyasha said again, giving Miroku an even fiercer glare than he had Hojo. Miroku ignored it, but the few first years at the table behind them nervously got up and walked to a different table. "What makes you think you can sit there?"

"Don't be so cranky, bestie. It'll give you frown lines. Good afternoon, ladies!" Miroku chirped. "How are all of you beautiful creatures today?"

"We're fine, Monk," Yuka said with a shallow look at him.

"You _are_ fine—"

"Don't even start!" Sango snapped.

"Come, now, such hostility!" Miroku clucked his tongue and shook his head. "And all I wanted was to come say hello to Kagome. She's been out sick so long!" He turned to smile at Kagome, only to have his face falter when he saw her muttering to herself and scribbling in the notebook like a madwoman.

"I didn't know you even knew Kagome," Sango said flatly.

"Don't be silly, Sango. I know everyone. Especially all the pretty girls, like all of you." He smiled round at them, and they couldn't help but blush a little. Except for Sango, who looked like she might be sick. Inuyasha had scooted his chair away from Miroku, but couldn't go very far with Kagome on the other side. He returned to his food, devouring it faster than ever, determined to finish and get out of there.

"So, ladies, what are you up to?" Miroku asked Sango and Yuka. "Your season's almost over. When's your next game?"

"As if we'd tell you—" Sango started.

"It's on Thursday," Yuka said at the same time.

The girls looked at each other.

"Sorry," Yuka shrugged.

Sango sighed and Miroku put his chin in his hand, smiling at her from across the table. "I'll have to make sure I'm there, then," He said.

"Don't trouble yourself," Sango replied, stabbing at her food.

"Oh, it's no trouble."

The conversation drifted around Kagome but she wasn't aware of it. She was busy getting dizzy from numbers and formulas swimming around inside her head. Just when she thought she was recognizing the problems, they started drifting off the page and getting all jumbled up so they didn't make sense again. Her stomach was beginning to twist with nerves about the math final and she had stopped eating her food several minutes ago.

"Gyah!" She suddenly cried out, rubbing her hands through her hair. "I just don't get this stuff! It's like reading Greek!"

"They're Latin terms, mostly," Ayumi responded.

"Whatever, it's all the same! I swear, I'm never going to understand algebra! I'll probably flunk out and Sango will have to go to the community college all by herself while I sell cucumbers on the street corners to make money." She dropped her head on the notebook.

"Cucumbers?" Ayumi and Eri looked at each other.

"What's this?" Miroku asked. "Kagome struggles with math?"

"She sucks at it, really," Yuka said.

"Calm down, Kagome, it'll be fine," Sango said, "I'll bring you extra homework from the college so you can at least be learning something while you're selling cucumbers."

Kagome groaned. "Not funny."

"Quit whining," Inuyasha cut in. "You'll be fine."

Kagome gave him a forlorn look. "How do you know?"

"You're working on laws of cosines, right?" He said with a flick of the eye toward the notebook Kagome was laying on. "Well, two days ago we, er, _Kikyo_ and I were going over double-sided angle formulas and half-angle formulas for trig. Laws of cosines use the same rules only without all the shapes. You just have to look at it that way."

Kagome slowly sat up and looked down at the numbers in front of her.

"It's the same," She muttered to herself, "But without the shapes."

She picked up her pencil and started scratching at a problem. With increasing excitement, she found the pieces falling into place. She reached the end of the problem and quickly flipped the notebook for Ayumi to look at. Ayumi looked at it, Yuka and Sango leaning over her shoulder.

"Mhmm," Ayumi said with a smile. "That's the correct answer."

"See?" Inuyasha said.

Unable to contain her excitement and relief, Kagome stood up so fast her chair fell over. "That's it! I can do this! It's like trigonometry, but without the shapes!"

"How in the heck is that the way it makes sense to her?" Yuka asked Sango quietly. "Doesn't that seem backwards?

"Beats me," Sango replied. "I barely understand trigonometry or algebra as it is."

"I can figure this out! I know what to do!" Kagome bopped a fist in her palm. "I know! Kikyo's notes from class! I'll borrow them from her locker!" She grabbed the notebook and her lunch. "If I pass this midterm exam it'll be nothing short of a miracle! Thank you, Inuyasha!" Then in a brash and hasty action fueled by the fire of learning, Kagome swooped down and pecked Inuyasha quickly on the cheek. Then she ran on, rice from her lunch trailing behind her. "I have to hurry before lunch is over! I'll see you guys later!"

The group at the table watched her run off with some surprise. Then they turned to Inuyasha. He was frozen, his chopsticks halfway to his open mouth.

Miroku waved a hand in front of him. "You still in there, Inuyasha?"

"Is he broken?" Ayumi asked.

"A tough guy like him, stilled by a chaste kiss," Eri sighed dramatically.

Miroku took hold of Inuyasha's ramen cup and started pulling it out of his hand. Inuyasha sprung back to life, smacking Miroku's hand away with a growl.

"What do you think you're doing?" He said to Miroku with a death glare.

"Ah," Miroku said enthusiastically, "He lives!"

The girls at the table giggled, and Inuyasha looked around at them with an awkward blush. Sango just ate her food quietly.

* * *

Kagome ran into Inuyasha again at the end of school. She proudly told him she thought she did all right on her math test, to which he shrugged and said good for her. She walked beside him back to her locker, which he didn't seem to mind until Yuka and Ayumi joined them. Then he felt crowded, and by the time Sango popped up he was trying to look menacing to keep people from talking to him, but it wasn't working very well. He tried walking away once, but Kagome pulled him back. Finally the group split up as everyone headed separate ways home, pulling out umbrellas or running quickly to avoid the rain.

"You don't want to walk with me?" Kagome asked Inuyasha, holding up her umbrella.

"Yeah, right, like I'd share with you," He replied, pushing his bangs out of his eyes as the rain fell on them.

"Fine, get wet, for all I care," Kagome said.

"It's just water."

"You'll just get a cold."

"I don't get colds."

"Sure, Superman, whatever you say."

Sango walked beside Kagome, and Inuyasha walked a few steps ahead of them. Despite their usual, irritated banter, Kagome had a small smile on her face. Sango took a deep breath before moving closer, her umbrella bumping Kagome's.

"Should he be hanging around like this when you're Kagome?" She asked quietly.

"Hm?" Kagome raised her eyebrows, then looked at Inuyasha's back. "Maybe not…but it can't be that bad, right? I mean, we're friends, too, it's not that odd that he might hang out with me when Kikyo's home sick. Besides, I think he kind of needs it, don't you? He doesn't have any friends. As much as he thinks he hated everyone hanging around today, I think he secretly liked it." Kagome smiled again.

"You might be right," Sango said, looking up at the boy in front of them. She'd known Inuyasha for years. She'd never been afraid of him, since she knew she could hold her own, but she certainly hadn't wanted to cross paths with him. He had been a vicious kid, and as a teenager he'd only gotten mouthier and stronger. She had been nothing short of floored when Kikyo started dating him. But Kagome liking him didn't surprise her—Kagome would be just exactly the sort of person to think that he wasn't as scary as he seemed. Just like she had known Sango wasn't as tough and independent as she pretended to be. Over the last few months Inuyasha had been a lot less…well, he didn't emit an aura of death anymore, so that was something, but he was still no prince charming. Yet, even she had to admit this behavior toward Kagome was unusual for him. Before, they had spoken when they ran into each other, but never had Inuyasha gone out of his way to spend time with her.

"Kagome," Sango started, almost whispering now, the pelting of rain on their umbrellas hiding her words from anyone else's ears, "I…just want you to be careful. I don't mind Inuyasha being around since he's been in a better mood the last little while, but I just want you to be aware that he could be, you know, rebounding."

Kagome blinked at her. "Rebounding?"

Sango nodded, trying to make her next words delicate. "Like you said, he doesn't have any friends. The only one he has is Kikyo. And right now you're dressing and acting like her almost every day. I'm just saying he might be reaching out for other people and his feelings might be confused, so just be careful about taking his actions too much to heart."

Kagome looked back at her. Then her face slowly began turning into a frown. "You think the only reason he's—"

Sango quickly put a hand up to stop Kagome's anger. "I think he's your friend, but I also think he doesn't really know what that means, and I just don't want you to get hurt because he's acting familiar with you since he's missing Kikyo." Sango put a hand on Kagome's shoulder. "I mean, I don't know everything in his head, but I just don't want you to get involved with someone who might ditch you as soon as your sister comes home. I just…you deserve so much better than that, Kagome. I just want you to be safe and happy."

Kagome's grip tightened on the umbrella. "I know you do. I…don't think he's rebounding, really. Heh, I don't think he even knows what that means. He's just…rebounding for human attention, I think. He needs someone, and I don't mind if that's me. But you're right." She smiled at Sango sadly. "That could get confusing. For me, at least. I'll be careful."

Sango nodded.

"Hey!" Inuyasha called back to them from a few yards ahead. "If you two want to putz around in soggy socks all day then that's fine by me, but I'm leaving."

They quickened their pace. They walked in silence to the school gate, which was unusual, and Sango noticed that even Inuyasha turned to eye them both curiously. Sango just smiled back at him. He turned back around. She didn't think he was so bad. He was kind of an idiot and could be a jerk at times, but she felt like that wasn't all his fault, nor was it permanent. But Kagome was her best friend, and she worried that the girl was falling for him, fast and hard.

* * *

"Maybe he's not as persistent as we thought," Sango said.

"Perhaps," Miroku rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "But I doubt it. It's more likely that there is movement behind the scenes that we just can't see."

"Well, what can we do about that?"

"Nothing. Unfortunately we're not in any position to act at all until something happens."

"I don't like the sound of that, Monk. What are our other options?"

"Well, I'm poking around as much as I can already with the help of some of my father's old contacts. But they can only work so fast while keeping a low profile from their coworkers _and_ Naraku."

"Ugh. I hate not knowing what's going on." Sango paused. "Kagome? Are you even listening?"

Kagome started, turning from the gray skies out the window to Sango and Miroku. "Huh?"

Sango sighed but Miroku turned to her. "Are you doing all right, Kagome?"

"Me? Yeah, I'm fine."

"Your sister's going to be all right, Kagome," He assured her. "We'll make sure of it."

"I know." _I'll make sure of it._ "Don't worry, I'm keeping my eyes open. I'll let you know first thing if I see or hear anything."

Sango sighed again and Miroku rubbed the back of his neck. "Believe me, it bothers me just as much as you two that I can't do anything right now. Already, Naraku and his people are a step ahead of us and they don't even know who we are yet."

"Glad to know we're doing so well," Sango said sarcastically.

The three closed their private meeting and left the empty classroom. Miroku saw them to the front gate, and although Kagome was dressed like Kikyo today Sango walked with her the next few blocks until they had to go their separate ways home.

Kagome made her way to the shrine slowly, rolling her head to stretch her neck. It was wednesday. Two more days of school and then she didn't have to pretend to be Kikyo for two whole days. This would be the end of the fourth week of being Kikyo. When she had started it had seemed like such a risky thing to do, but now it had been almost a full month and nothing had happened. She hoped that was good news. She hoped that when Kikyo called home this weekend she would say everything was well and Kagome could go to school as herself again.

The only good outcome was how much time she got to spend with Inuyasha. But she tried not to admit that out loud, for more reasons than one.

"I'm home!" She called through the door before dropping her shoes in the doorway.

"Welcome back!" Her mother called.

Kagome wandered around the corner, pulling her straightened hair out of Kikyo's signature hairstyle. Feeling tired seemed to be a constant for her now, and she fell into a chair at the table heavily.

"Hey, mom," She said to Asako.

"Hi, sweetheart," Asako said, mixing lemonade together in a pitcher. "How was school?"

Fine. Full of conspiracy. I really wanted to hold my sister's boyfriend's hand when he told me I did good on my trigonometry homework. Which isn't my homework, it's Kikyo's, but she's on the run from a psycho. Which might mean that Inuyasha's lonely and rebounding and that kind of hurts.

"It was good," She said.

"Kids!" Her mother suddenly called loudly. "Snacks are ready!"

Suddenly, pounding footsteps came racing down the hallway. Sota burst into the room, followed by the tall, pale figure of Kohaku. Behind him was a short boy with a shock of orange hair and a wide smile.

"Kagome!" Shipo greeted, rushing around the table to hug Kagome.

Kagome smiled and hugged him back. "Shipo! How are you?"

"Excellent aaas always!" Shipo said, bouncing back to point his thumb at himself. "Guess who won the spelling bee today?"

"_Barely_," Sota said, taking a seat at the table.

"Wah, shut up, I did awesome!" Shipo climbed into the seat next to Kohaku, who nodded at Kagome politely.

Kagome raised her eyebrows when a little girl joined them at the table. She was younger than the boys, perhaps ten or eleven, with wide eyes and choppy black hair. She wore the same school uniform as the others, although hers was obviously brand new.

"Hello, there," Kagome said to the girl. "I haven't seen you before. Who are you?"

"My name's Rin," Said the girl with a small bow of her head, "Nice to meet you."

"Hi, Rin, I'm Kagome, Sota's sister."

"Sister?" Sota said, taking the glass his mother handed him, "She's just the monster we let live here."

Kagome kicked Sota under the table, which earned a cry from him and a warning look from her mother. "So do you go to school with these hooligans?"

Rin nodded, holding her cup up for Asako to fill. "Yep, I just started there this week!"

"You made friends fast, didn't you?"

"We were friends already," Kohaku said. "We knew each other in the hospital."

Asako and Kagome looked at each other. "You met at the hospital?" Asako asked.

Rin and Kohaku nodded. Shipo and Sota ate their sandwiches obliviously.

"Yep!" Rin said with a smile. "Our beds were next to each other for two months!"

"Well, my goodness," Asako said, "I bet your parents are thrilled to have you home again."

"Oh, I don't have any parents."

"No parents?" Kagome asked, a hand going to her heart.

She shook her head. "Nope. I live with my guardian, Mr. Sesshomaru."

Kagome froze. "Sesshomaru? Sesshomaru Taiko?"

"Yep! Do you know him?"

"Uh, no. But I know his younger brother. So you're…living with Sesshomaru? And Inuyasha?"

"Uh-huh," Rin said, her mouth full of food.

"Since when?"

"Mmm, like a week, I guess."

Again, Asako and Kagome shared a look. "How's that going?" Kagome asked.

"Great! Mr. Sesshomaru is the best."

Kagome stared at her. Was she serious? From what she knew, Inuyasha's brother was a cold hearted beast. She pictured the small, smiling girl alone in a house with only Inuyasha and a large, muscular, terrifying figure that she imagined to be Sesshomaru. Did Rin eat? Did she have a real bed? She looked healthy, and at least her clothes were new. Did she get any attention in that house? Or did she stay in her room most of the time while Inuyasha and his brother fought?

Why hadn't Inuyasha told her about this?

She wasn't his girlfriend. She was barely his friend. But she felt a pang in her chest at being so obviously untrusted. What did she expect? She wasn't telling him what was really going on in her life. But she had thought…well, what had she thought? That they had gotten closer the last few weeks? They still fought just as often. But there were ok times, too. Times when he didn't look so harsh and when she thought she saw the ghost of a smile on his face when he turned away from her. Times when she thought he liked hanging out with her for her. But maybe he was just rebounding. He needed her to be there, since no one else was.

"Well," Asako's voice was sweet but carried protective motherly tones, "You're welcome in our home anytime, Rin."

"Really?" Rin asked.

"Of course," Kagome said. "If you ever need anything, just let us know."

"Thanks! I will!" Rin beamed at her, and Kagome couldn't help but smile back.

Sota swallowed the last of his lemonade and jumped off his chair. "Hurry up, you guys, we have to get back to the game!"

Kohaku and Rin followed, and Shipo called out, "Uh, you guys! Wait for me!"

When the preteens were gone, Asako sat across from Kagome and poured a glass of lemonade for each of them.

"Well," She said, "That's interesting."

"No kidding." Kagome picked up her glass and swished around the liquid. Asako smiled at Kagome's melancholy expression.

"Maybe having that sweet little girl in the house will be good for those boys," Asako said.

"Maybe." She really had no idea. She didn't know very much about either of them, she realized.

Grandpa came home a while later with fresh food for dinner, which Asako asked Kagome to help her start. Kohaku, Rin, and Shipo went home, and the rest of the family sat down to dinner. Kagome was glad to talk about nothing but Sota's soccer games and Grandpa's back problems for a while. She headed upstairs as a rumble of thunder shook the sky outside. She stopped in Kikyo's room first.

A couple days after her sister had left, Kagome had re-set up her room. Asako rarely came upstairs to bother them, and hardly anyone else did, either, but she still felt like it was better for keeping up appearances. She dropped Kikyo's school bag on her bed, which was heavy with homework she would have to do before tomorrow. The blinds were closed, but Kagome turned on the lamp on top of the desk. From the outside, someone might think Kikyo was in there studying. She untucked her uniform shirt and reached for the school bag again when something caught her eye. There was a little white note on the pillow. What was that? Had her mother left something?

No. It wasn't her mother's handwriting. She stared at it blankly before snatching it up and tearing it open.

It read:

_I spy with my little eye, a girl who thinks she's being sly. -O_


	7. And The Walls Came Tumbling Down

A/N: Not me

* * *

And the Walls Came Tumbling Down

April

He was used to being avoided. It wasn't a big deal. For as long as he could remember, everyone had avoided him. As the illegitimate son of Inutaisho Taiko, he wasn't exactly warmly welcomed into the family. Whatever. Like it mattered to him. It wasn't his fault everyone around him was a bigoted moron. Tsk. Including every privileged brat in his school. So what did he care that they avoided him? That they went out of their way to walk around him? That there were whispers behind his back when he passed by? It hadn't gotten better because he was dating Kikyo. In fact, the whispers had probably gotten worse. But she didn't care and neither did he. He was used to it.

But why in the heck was this girl seeking him out?

"I said hello," She repeated with a smile, "Usually you respond with 'hello' back."

He just looked down at her. She wasn't as pale as Kikyo, and her hair wasn't nearly as pencil-straight. And her smile—that was a huge difference. It was quick to appear and disappear with her emotions, wide and warm. That was confusing. Why was she smiling at him? He hadn't done anything. In fact, he was trying very hard to glare at her to get her to go away. No one smiled at him for no reason, at least not people who knew him. This girl always seemed to be smiling at everyone.

"Ok, well, you're talkative today," She said after he was still silent.

They were standing in the hallway, him leaning against his locker, her in front of him. Students were passing by. Usually they stared at him, but now they looked at the girl in front of him, wondering what she was doing talking to him. Some of them whispered to each other and he heard the name "Kikyo". Idiots. They couldn't even tell their beloved, honor student Kikyo from her kid sister.

"What do you want?" He said, more gruffly than he'd really intended.

She blinked. "I'm Kagome. You remember me, right?"

"Of course I do. You tried to run me over last week."

"Erk!" She blushed. Blushed? How could she wear her emotions so easily? "Ah, heheh, I'm sorry about that. It was an accident. You're healing up, though, right?"

She had to know full well that his black eye and bruised knuckles were not from her hitting him with her bike. The bruises were yellowed now, but still visible. Still, she kept smiling at him. His eyes flicked toward her knee, where he could see a scab from the cut she herself had gotten from the bike crash. Not that she had mentioned it, yet. She was so odd.

"Can I help you, Jr.?" He said with a roll of the eye.

"Jr.?"

"Sure, Jr. Kikyo's mini-me."

She scoffed. "I'm her sister, you jerk, not her mini-me."

"Whatever."

"_Whatever_ yourself. My name's Kagome. Ka-go-me."

"Ok, Ka-go-me. What do you want? Or are you just here to bother me?"

She snorted and held up the bag she had in her hand. "Kikyo told me you usually wait for her after archery club practice."

"You got a problem with that?"

"No, geeze. Quit being so defensive."

"_Defensive_?"

"I was just wondering if you could bring her the dinner that I made her. She has that long archery meet today but my mother has to take my grandpa to his chiropractor, and I have an assignment I need to make up. Will you bring it to her?"

He shrugged and took the bag from her.

"Thanks," She said with another smile before turning down the hall.

Geeze, this girl, turning him into an errand boy. Well, whatever. It was for Kikyo, after all. He glanced at the bag. Wasn't it kind of heavy? How much did Kikyo eat? He looked inside, only to see two bento boxes.

"Hey!" He called out, startling several students who were walking by. They looked at each other, none of them brave enough to ask who he was talking to. But he was looking after Kagome. "Aren't one of these yours?"

"Nope," She said with another smile. "One of them is yours."

What? Why? "I'm not paying you."

"I didn't ask you to. You'll have to tell me how Kikyo does in her meet later, ok?" Then she kept walking, a light skip in her step.

Inuyasha watched her disappear down the hall. He turned to the students who were still stopped in front of him. "What are you looking at?" They hurriedly moved on.

He looked into the bag again before pulling out one of the boxes. Popping the lid off he saw a brightly colored, tightly packed meal of rice, egg, and vegetables. He sniffed it. He closed the lid and pulled out the second one. It was exactly the same. One for him, one for Kikyo. He put the boxes back and looked at his arm. Beneath his long sleeve there was still a bandage on his arm from Kagome last week. Kikyo had always been kind to him, more so than anyone else he knew, but this was even stranger. Was this kindness? Or was this stupidity? Who went so out of their way for people they barely knew? He'd never known anyone like that. It sounded like insanity. He shook his head and headed down the hall. Whatever. He had gotten dinner out of it, and even if he didn't admit it out loud, the small act of insanity tugged at his chest a bit. Which just confused him more.

: : :

* * *

September

He had been in her house.

It could have been one of his cohorts, like that woman Kagura or the man Naraku, but she thought he was just the sort of obsessed sicko that would come himself. Had her mother been home? Had Grandpa? Had _she_ been home? How long had the note been waiting? All day? A few minutes?

She pictured a dark figure wandering silently through her house, looking at family photos, smelling Kikyo's things, passing the dining room as they ate dinner…

She felt violated. She felt unsafe. She felt like she was being watched.

The note crinkled in her fingers as she unwittingly tightened her grip. She stepped back, then again.

The house wasn't safe. The walls and locked doors hadn't kept Onigumo out. If he had wanted to, he could have set the whole building on fire, like he had done to the store of that family a few years ago. And just like then, her family could have gone up in flames.

Who was this note for? Obviously he knew Kikyo wasn't here. So was this a note meant to be relayed to her? Or was this directed at Kagome and her efforts at throwing him off the scent? She wasn't sure. And right now she couldn't stop to think about it logically. Kikyo's room suddenly seemed small, crowded, and vulnerable.

She was back downstairs in seconds. She stood at the bottom of the stairs, listening to the voices of her mother and grandfather talking in the kitchen while cleaning up, and the TV in the family room, where Sota was. Would Onigumo come back to burn them all? No, that would be stupid. Then what leverage would he have to force Kikyo to do what he wanted? He would have some other plot, she was sure. He had seen every nook and cranny, every left out sock and shoe, every old rusting hinge of their home.

She couldn't stand looking at any of it. She felt like she couldn't breathe. Like a dream, she saw herself taking her shoes and leaving the house.

—

"What's fifty six times fifteen?"

"What?"

"Fifty six times fifteen. What's the answer?"

"Eight hundred and forty."

Rin nodded and wrote it down. Inuyasha watched her swinging her feet at the kitchen table, finishing up homework, before turning back to the sink. He wasn't really doing anything, he was just trying to look busy. In reality he was keeping a close eye on the door to Sesshomaru's office. That woman was here again, and he was sure they were talking about something important. Inuyasha had come home early the last few days in hopes her dropping by again so he could pick up some sort of idea about who she was and what they were up to.

He had thought the kid was a joke. Surely Sesshomaru hadn't actually brought home a small girl to live with them. What in the hell had he been thinking? Sesshomaru sucked as a guardian, Inuyasha should know. Because of his father's stupid will, he had been forced to live with his brother since he was ten, about Rin's age, and since then he'd had to fend for himself. No home cooked meals, no one helping with his homework, no one even checking to see if he'd made it home safely. Heck, he had considered himself lucky if Sesshomaru ignored him rather than telling him he was the filthy, unwanted son of the Taiko family. Which Sesshomaru must have felt obligated to remind him of often. Sesshomaru had only ever gotten involved in Inuyasha's life when he had gotten in trouble at school for something.

Yet here Rin was. New shoes. A cell phone, "just in case". Sesshomaru had even gotten his assistant, Jaken, to stock the fridge with food, and not just ramen and chips, like what Inuyasha kept in there. Sesshomaru still wasn't a doting parent by any means, but Inuyasha had seen him emerge more in the last week when Rin was around than he had in the last month. What the heck? Who was this girl? Why was she there? Why did Sesshomaru care more about her than he ever had about his own brother? And who was that woman?

"Ta-da!" Rin said, lifting her pencil. "All done." She swiped her notebooks into her backpack. Inuyasha ignored her as she skipped out of the kitchen and into the living room. Until she turned on the TV. Dang it. Well, now even if he wanted to go eavesdrop, he wouldn't be able to hear over the sound of sparkling cartoon princesses and theme music. She'd been here a week and he was already sick of everything pink and glittery. He left his dirty dishes in the sink and headed back to his room.

He paused momentarily when he heard a knock at the door, but Rin piped, "I'll get it!" so he kept going. Good. He didn't want to deal with any more of Sesshomaru's pretentious, awful acquaintances. He was just about to disappear into his room when he heard Rin say, "Hi, Kagome!"

Wait. What?

Sure enough, Kagome's voice wafted down the hall: "Hi, Rin! I'm glad you made it home safe."

"Yeah, Kohaku walked me home."

"That's nice."

Immediately he was heading back down the hallway. Down the front hall he could see Rin standing in the cracked doorway.

"Are you here to see Sesshomaru?"

"Uh, actually, I was wondering if—"

Inuyasha swung the door wide open. On the other side was Kagome, who jumped and looked up at him with wide eyes. She was still in her uniform but her hair was down, and although it wasn't raining currently there were a few wet spots on her shoulders from stray droplets.

"Inuyasha," She said in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded, not sure if she was seriously standing there. How did she even know where he lived? No one from school had ever, _ever_ been to his house before. Not even Kikyo. Especially not Kikyo. It wasn't exactly the warm and fuzzy place he wanted to show friends. So it was a good thing he didn't have any friends. Well, except now. And here was his one friend, standing in front of him, totally uninvited. He might have been irritated, he might have been embarrassed, but mostly he was confused. She always confused him.

"Oh, uh, I was just in the area and I felt like stopping by and…uh…um…" She stammered off, her smile slowly sinking until she had to purse her lips together. "Uh, sorry, I just…"

As if by lightning, he was struck where he stood when he saw tears in her eyes.

She quickly wiped at her face, taking a step back, but it was like something in him had been left fried. She was crying. Why. Why was she crying. Kagome didn't cry. She was crying on his doorstep. Why here. Was it his fault. Why was she crying. Kagome shouldn't cry. No. Why was she _here_.

"Kagome…?" Rin looked puzzled.

"Ah, sorry!" Kagome said, smiling at her. But her movements were too jerky, to strange. She was still taking steps backward. "I'll just go."

Behind him, beyond the TV that was still playing, he heard Sesshomaru's office door open and low voices. That snapped him out of it.

"Rin," He said quickly, "Don't tell Sesshomaru she was here."

Rin hesitated but with another look at Kagome she nodded. Inuyasha shut the door, crossed the two steps to the surprised Kagome, grabbed her hand, and quickly led her away from the house.

"Wait, Inuyasha! Where are we going?" She asked as he pulled her down the block.

"Keep moving," Was all he said. He wouldn't stop until they were out of sight of the house. He didn't want that woman to come out and see her. The sun was setting, but the sky was still covered with clouds, giving everything a dim gray glow. They rounded a corner, safe in the shadow between two high fences, and he let go of her hand and turned to face her. They just looked at each other, their breathing a bit fast from their quick escape.

He waited, but she said nothing. So he said, "What's wrong? Are you in trouble?"

And then her face crumpled. Her eyebrows drew in and her lips pursed. She put a hand over her mouth and dropped her gaze to the ground as a sob escaped. Tears trailed down her face one after the other and her shoulders began to shake.

What did he say? What was normal behavior in a situation like this? He wasn't sure. He'd never had a girl crying _to_ him and not _because_ of him.

Beneath his floundering at what to do, the same thoughts from earlier crossed his mind, this time accompanied by rising emotions. Something was wrong. Kagome didn't just cry. And she shouldn't be crying. Something was wrong. He said more firmly, "Kagome, what's wrong? If you're in trouble I need you to talk to me."

She shook her head.

"What, you won't tell me?"

She shook her head again.

He growled in the back of his throat. "Dang it, Kagome. Then why are you here?"

"I'm sorry," She said, her voice muffled by her hand and choked by emotion. "I didn't mean to-to bother you…I just…Just wanted to…s-see you…I'm sorry, I'm…s-stupid."

Again, he felt like had been struck. He looked down at the girl in front of him, her dark hair falling around her shoulders in a frizzy mess, tears streaming down her face that she quickly tried to wipe away. She had come because she wanted to see him. She had come because she was upset and she wanted to see him. She wanted to. See him.

Why?

She had come to him for help. But not the normal, usual problem solving kind that he understood. She had come to him for some sort of emotional help that he had no clue what to do about. He recognized it—he had gone crying to his mother often enough as a kid. But that had been almost over a decade ago. He had stopped going to anyone for help after that. And no one had ever turned to him like this before.

Geeze, Kagome. Either she was the biggest idiot ever and didn't know how to choose her friends very well, or she was so beyond Inuyasha that he was afraid he might never catch up.

His stomach hurt. His arms itched. He felt like speaking and shutting up, moving forward and running away all at the same time. He felt fear making him shrink back and be confused. But he also felt—what did he feel? Happy? Bigger. He felt honored. And more than anything, he suddenly found he couldn't handle her sitting there crying anymore.

Carefully, very carefully, he reached up and put his hands on her shoulders. They stopped shaking, and she opened her eyes to look at him. He lowered his face so it was on her level.

"Kagome," He said, his voice unsure, "Are you ok?"

Then she slid her arms around his neck so quickly and so effortlessly that he was still wondering what had happened thirty seconds later. He stood frozen as tears dropped onto his shoulder. She wasn't as tall as Kikyo, so she had to tip toe, leaning on him heavily. She was cold from being outside in the weather in just her uniform, but her grip on him was tight.

For months he had had little touches of Kagome, but had been made uncomfortable by them and so avoided them when he could. But the strength of her grasp and the heat of her breath on his neck broke down a wall he hadn't been entirely sure existed. Without thinking his arms wrapped loosely around her. Then that wasn't good enough, it didn't match how tightly she was holding him, so he held her tighter. And then he found he needed it more than she did and his grip tightened even more as he dropped his head to her shoulder, burying his nose in her hair. He might have been squeezing her too tight, but she hadn't complained yet, and somehow he felt that by holding her tight enough he might be able to fill in some of the holes in his heart—holes left from his family, holes left from his life, holes left from Kikyo leaving.

And she held him back just as tightly and cried.

* * *

There were a thousand tiny things going on in her life that were piling up. Their weight had finally become too much yesterday and she'd embarrassingly broken down in front of Inuyasha. Granted, she had felt better after that and been able to process and sort through everything more rationally. But with all of that, with all of the crazy and all of the mystery, she did not need this added stress. This, in fact, was the last thing she needed.

Why in the heck was she here?

"Here, Kikyo," A girl said to her, handing her a long, slender bow. Next to her was a quiver of arrows, easy for her to reach down and pull out.

Kagome stared beyond the wooden platform of the archery range, across the green grass, to the targets lined up on the far side. Kikyo's archery uniform was too long on her—the billowing pants fell over her toes. The vest fit snuggly over the white kimono top, and the gloves over her fingers felt strange to her. _How_, she thought again, _did I get here?_

"Don't worry," The girl said with a smile. "You might be out of practice since you've been gone so long, but you'll find yourself settling into it like usual. You've never let us down before, Kikyo!"

"Eh heh," Kagome laughed nervously as the girl stepped back. "Right…"

The girl was in a matching uniform. A few feet from her on the wooden floor were two boys and another girl in matching uniforms. Already they were drawing their bowstrings back, letting arrow fly at the targets and hit with a solid thud. None of them were watching her, but there were a couple first year girls at the back of the range who were definitely whispering and looking at her.

_Why now?_ She thought. _I managed to avoid it for weeks! Why today? I don't have time for this!_

But she could think of no excuse to get out of it. Kikyo's teammates had sprung on her as she was trying to catch Sango, to tell her that she needed to talk to her and Miroku. They'd talked so fast and so urgently, Kagome had found herself dragged down to the shooting range before she knew it.

Worst of all, she knew that over her left shoulder, standing in the corner by himself, was Inuyasha.

Dang it, why was he here, too? He hadn't needed to follow her. Now she would just feel like an even bigger idiot. He'd probably make fun of her for days after this.

On the other hand, maybe he wouldn't. He was acting kind of odd today. Well, could she blame him? She'd stalked him to his house and then cried all over him for nearly an hour. How dumb was that? Still, she was glad she had. Never had she imagined that he could look at her so softly. Then he had held her until she had stopped crying and afterwards walked her home, and somehow she had felt better. Still afraid, but less panicky. She wondered what he had thought about the whole thing, sure that he thought she was insane and was wondering why the kid sister of his girlfriend had shown up at his house. But he hadn't said anything about it, and today he hadn't acknowledged it, except that he was more quiet than usual, that he watched her more pensively.

She still had Sango's worried warning from a couple days ago in her head. Inuyasha was alone and needy right now. She shouldn't get any sort of hope out of a kind gesture from him. Still, it was possible that right now she was as needy as he was, and she wasn't willing to back away when she was feeling her needs met.

With a glance back at Inuyasha she snorted. He wasn't even watching. He was leaning against the wall with his arms folded and his eyes closed. Well, good. There would be less witnesses to her humiliation.

The bow was surprisingly heavy. She had seen Kikyo lift it for hours at at ime at competitions like it was nothing. She knocked an arrow, trying to look like she knew what she was doing. She had to try twice before she managed to pull the bowstring back to her ear. The string was taught and she couldn't hold it very long. She barely had enough time to squint at the target and pray that it was at least go in that general direction.

A solid_ thunk_ echoed back at her.

There, on the side of the target, the shaft of her arrow stuck out of the ring farthest from the center.

"I…I hit it," She said numbly.

"Of course," The girl said from a few feet away. "I'd expect nothing less from Kikyo Higurashi, even after a month of missing practice. You'll be back to your usual points by this afternoon, I'm sure."

The girl walked away and Kagome carefully knocked another arrow. Pulling it back, she took a deep breath, this time trying hard to focus on the bull's eye. She let the arrow go, striking the target again. It was on the opposite side as her first arrow and a little further out from the center. But she'd hit it. She knocked another arrow.

It was strangely satisfying to impale the target with arrows. She found herself enjoying the physical exertion, even though her muscles ached from holding the bow up and pulling the string back. It was hard, much harder than it looked. But she kept it up, envisioning all of her issues being speared through.

Not all of her arrows hit—a few went far astray—but most of them did. One even came within a few inches of the center. Even the few others practicing nearby didn't hit it every time. She was…she was…kind of good at this.

After months of trying clubs and teams, she had found something she was decent at. Of course it was archery. _Of course_ it was _Kikyo's_ sport. Dang it, why did it have to be this of all things? Why couldn't she get out of Kikyo's shadow, no matter how hard she tried?

She retrieved her arrows and set up for another round, letting her anger and frustrations be taken out in the work. She got so lost in the rhythm of it, she almost didn't notice that everyone else had cleaned up and were in the locker rooms. Lunch was almost over.

Breathing hard, she wiped sweat from her forehead with a shaky hand. Her arms would probably be sore for days. She almost didn't feel it when Inuyasha rested his hand on her arm. She looked up at him in surprise. What, he was touching her? Of his own free will?

His eyes were directed toward the side door of the range. Kaede, the archery coach, was there. She was looking at Kagome, her hands held pensively behind her back.

"Let's go." He said.

Kagome turned away, lifting her quiver with some effort. Kaede knew both Kagome and Kikyo—she had been to their house to pick up her grandson, Shippo, plenty of times. She'd even stayed for dinner before, and she knew Kikyo well after spending hours coaching her. If she got too close, she might recognize that Kikyo was not actually Kikyo.

They left the open platform and headed back through the halls.

"You seemed to be having fun," He said to her.

"Eh? Oh. I kind of was." She smiled a little to herself.

"You going to join the archery team for real once you give up this Kikyo thing?"

"…No."

"Why not? You weren't half bad."

"How do you know? I thought you were too bored to watch."

He shrugged.

She watched him for a second, but he didn't look down at her. "Anyway, I don't think so. I mean, it was kind of fun, but…this is Kikyo's thing. I don't want to take it from her."

"Take it from her? I don't think you being on the team is taking it from her. Besides, she left it behind."

"Yes, but…" She twisted her fingers around the bow. "I dunno. Everyone already thinks I'm Kikyo's 'Jr.' anyway, right?" And then she did feel him look down at her. "Besides, she's so good. I'd never be as good as her."

"So she might be better than you, so what? There are people who are better than Kikyo, too. There's always someone better than you out in the world. Doesn't mean you shouldn't do what you want to."

She stopped walking and he turned to look at her.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing, it's just," She smiled and kept going. "You're being really nice to me."

That made him uncomfortable. He looked away with a scowl, which just made her smile. "What, I'm always nice."

She giggled. He must have still been thinking about her melt down the day before. Who knew Inuyasha could be so kind to a girl who was upset? Sango would never believe her. She wasn't complaining. She loved it.

The bell was ringing at the school in the distance and Kagome squeaked in alarm. She told Inuyasha to go on ahead before hurrying to change in the locker room. A few of the other girls were just finishing up. They greeted her as Kikyo and asked if she wanted them to wait for her, to which she declined. She quickly changed back into her school uniform, lamenting that her carefully straightened hair was returning to its natural wave. Dang it. She had to take an extra three minutes brushing it out before redoing her low ponytail.

She left the locker room with a bang and started across the field to the school.

"Ms. Higurashi."

She stopped and turned.

It was the woman in red again. Kagura Wasanbi. Her sunglasses were gone and she looked after Kagome with almond shaped, dark brown eyes. The woman stepped toward her.

"Sorry for the disturbance," Kagura said in a low, edgy voice, "But I'd like you to come with me, Ms. Higurashi."

Kagome stared at her, then followed her gaze toward the school fence. On the other side was a long black car with tinted windows. It looked fancy—Kagome had rarely seen anything like that, let alone ridden in one.

The woman had been waiting for her right outside the archery range. A place that Kikyo frequented, of course, but also where Kagome just so happened to be today. Wait, were they here for Kikyo or Kagome?

"Um, I don't think so," Kagome answered.

"Oh, no," Kagura replied with a slight curl of the lip, "I wasn't asking."

The driver's door of the car swung open and a tall, bald man stepped out. He was in a suit, but even then she could tell he was extremely muscular.

Kagome looked back toward the school, her heart pounding in her ears. The field was empty. She wished she hadn't sent Inuyasha ahead of her. Of course this had to be the one day he was feeling bad for her and was actually following orders. Dang it.

"Don't worry," Kagura said, slipping her fingers around Kagome's upper arm. Her grip wasn't rough, but her nails were sharp. "We won't hurt you. We'll take you by force if we have to, but I promise you'll be returned in one piece. Mr. Naraku simply wishes to speak with you."

Kagome's fists clenched and she resisted Kagura when she began pulling her along. But she didn't kick up a fight or try to run. That muscle head could probably catch her in seconds.

Besides, beneath the rising bile and fear in her throat, she had the strongest sense of morbid curiosity. Naraku wanted to talk to her. Onigumo's boss, the elusive con man, wanted to talk to her. And despite the prospect of danger, she also knew that this was more information than Miroku, and Miroku's father, a renowned ex-detective, had ever had on the man. She was walking into the dragon's lair, and, possibly, it would be the only chance to find out anything about the beast.

She wished she still had the bow and arrows. Then at least she'd feel armed. And she had discovered she wasn't half bad either—if worse came to worse, she could send an arrow through the man's heart. But she had left them in Kikyo's locker. Still, the experience at the archery range had left her with a sense of accomplishment she had never thought possible, and the residue might have been affecting her judgment now. Too late to think it through, though.

She swallowed hard, sending a silent prayer to the gods of the shrine she helped care for, and allowed herself to be led to the car.


	8. Kiss and Tell

A/N: No yo

* * *

Kiss and Tell

July

She was surprised to see him here. Street festivals like this didn't really seem like his scene. Back alleys were more his scene. Especially in that red leather jacket and black t-shirt he liked to wear when he wasn't in his school uniform—he stuck out like a sore thumb among the families and students that crowded the booths beneath the lantern lights.

He sat on a stool at a ramen booth, between an old couple and a mother and her child. They all leaned away from him warily, which he ignored as he ate.

He was here. And she had thought that she wouldn't be able to see him during the summer break. Her feet carried her through the crowd to him before she could stop herself. That was normal, right? They were buddies, right? She shook the doubts out of her head. They seemed to be piling up more often recently, and she knew that forcing herself to answer those questions in the positive was a sign that there was something going on in her head that shouldn't. She was trying to pretend it wasn't happening, but over the last couple months it had gotten harder.

She tapped his shoulder lightly, and when he turned around to glare with his mouth full of noodles she grinned. "Hey! Fancy meeting you here!"

He rolled his eyes and swallowed. "What, I don't see enough of you, now you're stalking me during summer break?"

"I'm stalking you?" She snorted, a hand on her hip. "Please. I'm here with friends. You're the one skulking around by yourself."

"Skulking? Don't be an idiot. I'm patronizing this ramen stand. _You're_ the one harassing me."

She pouted, frowning at him as he ate. She pushed his elbow a little as he brought a piece of food to his mouth, making him miss and bump it against his cheek. He turned to glare at her with sauce on his face.

She smiled sweetly. "Careful there! Wouldn't want food in your pretty hair, right?" She took a napkin from the counter and reached it toward his face. He snatched it out of her hand and wiped his cheek, glaring at her the whole time. She just kept smiling. Behind him, she saw the young mother put a hand to her lips, holding in a laugh. The old couple was smiling at them too, their wary looks toward Inuyasha completely gone.

"Like I said. Harassment." Inuyasha said.

A touch on Kagome's shoulder made her turn to the old couple.

"Here, dear," The old woman said with a smile, "We're finished. You can sit by your boyfriend."

"Oh, he's not—"

"She's _not_ my—"

"Have a good evening," The old man said over them. Leading his wife away he said, "Reminds me of us when we were that age."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes again, but surprisingly he didn't protest any more than that. Kagome raised her eyebrows at him, then coughed away a little smile. She hopped onto the stool next to him, asking, "So, what are you doing here?"

"I'm eating."

"Duh. What are you doing at the festival? Kikyo's not here, right? She said she had something to do tonight."

"What, I'm not allowed to go places if she's not there?"

"No, you idiot, I'm just saying you could have told me and come with me."

"With you? So you could harass me all night?"

She rolled her eyes. "Ugh, why are you so annoying?"

"This is just how I am, deal with it." He glanced at her. "What are you doing with that?"

She looked down at the large camera around her neck. "It's the school's—I'm borrowing it."

"For what?"

"The photography club said I could take it home for a few days over the break. It's digital, so I shouldn't have issues accidentally exposing the film, like with my mom's camera." She didn't bother telling him that that was an issue she knew first hand. She didn't need to give him more fuel to tease her.

"Since when are you in the photography club?"

"I'm not. I just thought I'd try it out and see if I like it."

"You seem to be doing that a lot lately," He slurped another bite of noodles into his mouth. "What's the deal with that?"

Oh, he'd noticed? Had he been watching her? She always thought he was too busy trying to look broody or following Kikyo around. "It's just something I've wanted to do—I figured it would be cool if I could find a club to join. Something that defines me."

He snorted. "What for? As if you need anything else to define you. You're already the weirdest person I know."

"Says the guy with long hair eating ramen by himself."

"I'm not by myself anymore, unfortunately."

Kagome watched the crowd pass by around them. Everyone was boisterous, laughing and talking, booth owners calling out, the sounds of food cooking and games being played following the festival-goers. She smiled around at them, then up at the red lanterns stringed over them. Beyond those were the stars, washed out by the lights of the city in the distance.

"There's something about festivals like this, isn't there?" She said wistfully. "They're so warm. It's like everyone lights up when they get to visit a festival together."

"Huh." Was all Inuyasha said. "I wouldn't know. This is my first festival."

"Eh? Really?" Kagome turned to him in surprise. "Even when you were a kid?"

He shrugged, pinching his noodles with his chopsticks. "My mom was always too sick to come to these things."

"Oh." She couldn't think of anything else to say. Should she say sorry? Should she pat his shoulder? Somehow she didn't think he would take well to sympathy like that. He was too proud. So she just said, "So what brought you out for this one?"

"Well, _someone_ kept going on and on last week about how amazing it was and how she wanted festival food. Besides, Kikyo was busy so I didn't have anything better to do."

She blinked, then her smile widened. "Well, that girl sounds like a pretty smart person. Probably beautiful and wise, too. Good thing you listened to her."

He snorted, but it almost sounded like laughter. "I dunno about all that, but as least she was right about the food."

Kagome paused. He was looking into his bowl at the last bits of broth and noodles, and although his tone was the same as always there was a small smirk on his face. Not a rude, condescending smirk, either. Just a smirk. It was almost a smile. Her heart skipped a beat.

Then, in a devilish moment, she subtly turned on the camera around her neck. "Inuyasha," She said.

He turned over his shoulder to look at her with those amber eyes she liked so well, the smirk still playing on his lips. Then she snapped a picture.

The smirk quickly became a scowl. "What the heck do you think you're doing?"

"Just commemorating the moment. That's what cameras are for, right?"

"Give me that!" He reached for her camera, but she quickly twisted off the stool, dodging out of his way.

"Well, I had better catch up with my friends! Enjoy the food!" She waved and disappeared into the crowd as he called after her, but he was stopped from chasing by the ramen stall owner, who reminded him he hadn't paid yet.

Kagome dodged through the crowds quickly, laughing to herself. When she was sure she was safely out of sight she stopped, looking back with a grin. Then she picked up the camera and flipped back to the most recent picture.

Gosh, he was beautiful.

She immediately shook her head and turned the camera off. _Quit thinking stupid things_, she told herself. She moved on through the crowd, walking slower than before. She couldn't keep that picture. That would be selfish of her, and only make her feel guilty. She'd have to give it to Kikyo. But she knew in her heart that whenever she saw it she would remember that his smile had been for her and not her sister.

: : :

* * *

September

Miroku twisted his pencil around in his fingers, bored. Class hadn't started yet, so there were still a few side conversations as students filed in. He wasn't about ancient history. He preferred the social studies and political sciences. Already he was ignoring everyone else and flipping through thoughts in his head, trying to make connections, opening hypothetical doors and poking his nose through to see where it could take him.

He had a pragmatic mind like his father. His uncle was constantly telling him he reminded him of his late father, but Miroku didn't see how that would do him any good if he couldn't be smarter, if he couldn't be quicker than his father had been. His father had mistepped, had let Naraku get ahead of him, and had been ruined for it. Almost completely mad, he had left Miroku with a friend of the family, his "uncle", and left. They'd had word a few years later that he had died, alone in an old hotel room. Over dose, they had said, but Miroku couldn't help but wonder. His father had never stopped hunting Naraku, and it was possible that the con had done something to get rid of him for good.

Miroku couldn't believe that Naraku had basically fallen into his lap. This mess with Kagome and her sister and Onigumo was madness. Sango and her family were in trouble, too. Looking around at his fellow, laughing students, Miroku wondered just how many of them were also somehow affected by Naraku or his men. His grip on his pencil tightened with hate and he clenched his teeth. He would do something. He would be the one to bring Naraku down.

The teacher wandered in and began shuffling around on his desk. This particular teacher was more scatterbrained than anyone else in the school, and the students always used it to their advantage. People were still wandering in, even as he began taking roll. Then he realized it was the wrong class, so he had to search for the correct roll sheet.

"I can't believe it," A girl said a few seats away from Miroku. "Is she a secret movie star, for real?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Her friend replied, "She's not like anyone else in school, is she?"

"She's so beautiful. I wish I was half as perfect as she was."

"Not me. She spends way too much time studying. It seems boring to be her, despite how popular she is."

"Who are you guys talking about?" Someone else asked.

"Kikyo Higurashi."

"Should have figured."

"What, we can't help it. She's amazing. And lately she's been so friendly. Yesterday she remembered that I was worried about my English exam, and she wished me good luck. She's never done that before. How nice is that?"

"Weren't we talking about the festival next week a minute ago? What got you to Kikyo all of a sudden?"

"I saw her out the window a second ago," The first girl said. "She got into this super fancy car with this beautiful woman in this wicked red outfit."

Miroku's thoughts froze. He turned toward the group of students.

"How glamorous, right? Who just has fancy cars like that pick them up at school?"

There was a sudden clang, which made the entire class shut up and turn. Even the teacher stopped reading the second wrong roll call list.

Miroku looked back at Inuyasha, who had stood so abruptly that his chair had fallen back. He was looking out the window, stone still, veins showing on his wrists form his clenched fists. Everyone watched him before jumping when he snapped his head in the direction of the students who had been talking. The first girl who had been speaking looked nervous as Inuyasha stomped toward her.

"What did you say?" He demanded.

"I-I'm sorry, I wasn't talking bad about her, I promise—"

"Which way did it go?"

"What?"

"_The car_. Which way did it go?"

"Oh, u-um. That way. Toward town."

Inuyasha spun on his heel, leaving the classroom with a slam of the door. The students watched the closed door and the teacher just went back to reading the roll, only to adjust his glasses when he realized it wasn't right again.

Miroku stood quickly and stepped over to the girl, who was holding her heart and being comforted by her friends.

"Don't listen to him, Ayumi. He's just a big bully." Her friend said.

"That possessive jerk." The other agreed.

"My," Miroku said with a smile down at her, "He's a rather passionate fellow, isn't he?"

"Miroku," The girl said, looking up at him with a relieved look.

"Not to worry, Ayumi," He said with a reassuring pat on her shoulder, "He's not as bad as he seems. Will you do me a favor?"

"Sure, Miroku, anything."

"Will you say 'here' when the teacher calls my name? I'm afraid I'm not feeling too well. I'm headed to the nurse's office."

"Of course."

"Thank you, my dear," He took her hand and kissed it, leaving her blushing as he exited the classroom. As soon as the door was shut behind him he quickened his pace, whipping his phone out and hurrying down the hall in the wake of Inuyasha.

* * *

The man across from her was not what she had been expecting.

What had she been expecting? Tattooed thug, maybe. Scars and a beard. Muscular and tough looking. All the stereotypical ideas of what a gang leader should be. But theirs was no ordinary gang. Miroku had said they were different than any other organized crime in the country. And this would prove it.

She'd seen something like this in a movie once. The wealthy crime lord with his thugs in suits, driving his limos. This car wasn't quite a limo, but it was certainly fancy. She was uncomfortable sitting on the black leather seats, her school bag on her lap, although that wasn't the main reason for her discomfort. Her seat was facing backwards, just a few feet from the one in front of her.

Naraku would have been tall if he'd been standing. As it was his long legs were crossed, his shiny black shoes flashing as sunlight came in through the tinted windows. The suit he wore looked expensive and sleek, with a black collared shirt underneath and a deep purple tie. His hair fell in long waves, well taken care of and clean. His skin was pale, and he might have been handsome if his face didn't carry such an obvious malice, such a dark gaze, such a disturbing, small smile.

"Kagome," He said to her, his voice smooth and deep, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person."

She swallowed, watching him with as brave an expression as she could muster. "I don't know that I can say the same." _At least Onigumo isn't here_, she thought. The disgusting, creepy man would have freaked her out even more than this. "So what do you want?"

"To talk, of course. Get to know you a little better."

"Good luck. I'm not saying anything I don't want to."

"Fair enough." He began tapping his finger against his knee. "So did you think you could really fool me with that little act?"

"It must have for a while. Otherwise what took you so long to have this conversation?"

"Hardly. I knew right away you weren't Kikyo."

He had? How? Had Naraku met Kikyo before, too? Why hadn't Kikyo mentioned anyone but Onigumo? The information could have been useful before hand.

He continued, "My associates, however, weren't as…astute." His eyes flicked behind Kagome toward Kagura, who was riding in the front seat. Kagura wasn't looking back at them, but she must have heard. The fan she had been waving at herself snapped shut at Naraku's warning tone. Naraku turned back to Kagome. "I simply had some business out of town that kept me away for a while. Some…old friends I had to visit."

"Old friends, huh? What did you do, demand money they owed you and then let Onigumo burn their house down? That's your M.O., right?" It was probably not the right tone of voice to be using on a man like Naraku, but Kagome couldn't help it. She tried not to hate people as a general rule, but she could feel that resolve had dissipated as soon as she had gotten into the car.

The corner of his smile twitched. "So, Kikyo's in Kotsui. Clever girl, hiding herself away in the mountains. Too bad she left her little sister behind in the way of trouble."

Kagome didn't respond. She clenched her fists, feeling the blisters that were beginning to form on her fingers from the string of her bow. The small prick of pain helped keep her from panicking.

"You do have contact with Kikyo, I presume?"

"Maybe. What about it? I'm not relaying any messages to her from Onigumo."

Again, his smile twitched. "You're rather stubborn, aren't you? Don't you realize the position you're in?"

She was terrified, but she couldn't let him know that. Fear would be used against her. She gripped her school bag tightly, focusing more on her anger than her fright. "Tsk. You don't scare me. What are you going to do, hold me for ransom? Force her to come home so your creepy little henchman can have her?"

"Hmm," He said, reaching for the pitcher and glasses that sat on a small table in the side of the car. He poured a glass, the car driving so smoothly he didn't spill a drop. He offered the glass to Kagome, and when she didn't take it he set it in the cupholder at her side. Then he poured a glass for himself and sipped it, as if proving he hadn't drugged it. "Well, then, Kagome, it seems we have two options. The first being that you, like the good and loving sister that you are, tell Kikyo that we very much miss her. We'd like her to come home. If she wanted to study medicine so badly, she should have just asked. I can provide her with anything she needs, and I'd be happy to do so if she would only come to me."

"As _if_ I'd ever ask her to come home. You're a creep with creepy coworkers. I'd never let you get your hands on her."

His smile twitched again. She was beginning to wonder if it was some sort of tick. Or if she was just good at getting on his nerves. "You are a bit of a spitfire yourself, aren't you, Kagome? Not as beautiful as Kikyo, but still very nice to look at."

Uh-oh. She didn't like the way he was looking at her now.

"With some proper training to control that mouth of yours, you could be almost as good to have." He shifted toward her, and her panic spiked out the roof. She inhaled sharply, grabbed the glass of water, and threw it in his face.

Oh. Gosh.

What had she done?

She froze with the glass still in her hand, her heart hammering wildly, her blood thick and cold.

Water dripped down Naraku's face and soaked through the front of his dark suit. He opened his eyes slowly, his eyelashes wet. If she had thought his eyes were malicious before, now they were murderous. Before she could even swallow, he had lunged across the car. He leaned over her, his face close to hers, one hand on the back of her seat. His other hand gripped her cheeks hard, pinching them against her teeth, forcing her head back against the headrest. She might have screamed if her voice hadn't been stuck in her throat at the expression on his face.

"You," He spat, his voice a low hiss, "May just be the _stupidest_ girl I've ever met. I can hardly believe there is any relation between you and Kikyo."

His fingers in her cheeks were so hard they felt like knives. His face was close enough that a drop of water slid off his nose and fell near her lips. She had grabbed his wrist, but her strength was nothing compared to his. Glaring up at him, she dug her nails into his skin the best she could. Dang it, were that woman and that man just going to sit there quietly in the front seat like nothing was happening back here?

"Kikyo's disobedience is one thing," He said, his smile turning manic, "But I don't have the patience to deal with the likes of _you_. So, it's fine by me if you'd like to do things the hard way. I would love to rip you apart in a thousand pieces and _burn _you. And believe me, I will. I will light you up from the inside out, I will throw everything you love into the inferno and let you watch. And then you will be singing a different tune—then you will be _begging_ me for what you want. And I would love," His eyes left hers to look her up and down in a way that made her feel like she'd just been covered in slime, "To watch you beg."

Kagome blinked. Her voice was barely above a whisper it was so trapped in her terrified chest, "You're…you're Onigumo…?"

He said nothing. Then his grip on her face loosened and he sat back in his own seat. He crossed his legs, still not bothering to wipe the moisture off his face.

"Goshinki," He said, his voice returned to the same calm tone he had started with, "Stop the car."

The car slowed and Kagome straightened up, resisting the urge to rub her aching face.

"I would suggest," Naraku said, "That you tell Kikyo that I am expecting her. Immediately. You will find your life a lot more…pleasant if you do. A simple place like Kotsui won't keep me out, but I'd prefer it if she came on her own. Until I get impatient. Kikyo knows she is mine. It is time for her to be finished with these little games."

Kagome swallowed, not daring to say anything. The car stopped and the woman got out of the front seat. She opened the back door for Kagome, saying, "Let's go."

Kagome carefully scooted past Naraku to reach the door. He didn't look at her, but had instead pulled out his phone and was typing away at it as though she weren't there. Kagome quickly hopped out of the car, turning around so her back wasn't to them. The woman, Kagura, shut the door. She looked at Kagome with an unreadable expression before getting back in the passenger's seat. Then the car pulled away down the street.

Kagome took a step before her knees gave way. She fell to the sidewalk, her hands shaking, her finger tips cold, despite the sun that shone down on her. She glanced around, pulling her school bag to her chest as though it were armor. Where was she? Some random, normal looking street a few miles from the edge of downtown. There were houses a few yards away, quiet and happy looking. She sat on the cement and just breathed, glad that her lungs still worked and that her body was still intact.

Her heart rate calmed and her panic subsided to leave a heavy, numb feeling. Slowly she reached up and pulled her hair out of its ponytail, letting it fall around her shoulders. Trying to look like Kikyo wouldn't do her any good now.

Kikyo was in danger. She was in danger. Her family was in danger. From a man that she had now met first hand. Onigumo was Naraku. They were the same person. Onigumo wasn't just some manic lackey, he was the boss. Oh, geeze. What had Kikyo gotten herself into? What had _Kagome_ gotten herself into?

What now?

Sitting on the curb, she wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her chin on them. She let the sun wash over her along with the sounds of the day—a bird overhead, a car driving down a side street. Maybe if she just stayed here forever, then everything would become a dream. None of that would be real. She'd just disappear into this sidewalk, beneath the ants and the sun and the wind. Nothing would matter then.

She paused when she felt a vibration from inside her bag. Slowly she reached into it and pulled out her phone.

32 missed calls. 15 missed texts.

Oh, boy. She'd been gone almost an hour now. She wondered who had figured it out. Sango would be panicking. Miroku would be worried. She hoped no one had called her mom. Then again, she kind of wished someone had. She needed her mother right now.

As she held the phone it buzzed again, and Inuyasha's name popped up on the screen.

What. Inuyasha. She answered it. "Hello?"

"_Finally_," He snapped. "Where in the _hell_ are you?"

"Um," She looked down the street. "I'm a couple blocks from downtown. Ah, there's a sign near me. I'm on 16th east."

"Who's with you?"

"No one. I'm alone now."

"Are you hurt?"

"No. I'm ok."

"What did they do to you?"

"Nothing. We just…talked." Her voice cracked. She leaned her forehead back on her knees, squeezing her eyes shut. "Hey, will you do me a favor?"

"What?" He said, sounding almost breathless.

"Will you keep talking?"

"What?"

"Keep talking. I'm just…really glad to hear your voice." She smiled a little, and was glad her face was hidden so no one would be able to see how weak it was if they wandered by. She held the phone tighter. "I was so scared."

"Kagome…"

"Sorry. Just, talk about something. Anything. I don't care."

"I'll talk to you all you want when you're safe at home, you idiot."

She sighed, pressing her head to her knees harder, her hair falling in curtains all around her. "It'll take ages for me to get there." She didn't tell him it was because her legs were still shaky. "Can you just talk now? Tell me how your test went."

"I didn't take my test, thanks to a certain someone who got taken off school property because she _stupidly_ doesn't tell me _anything_."

"Ah, I'm sorry. I'll tell the teacher some excuse. He'll let you take it later."

"Shut up, you idiot, I don't care about that!"

She paused. His voice had sounded odd. She had heard it through the phone, but it had also sounded like it had come from…nearby.

She lifted her head slowly, her hair falling in her eyes as she looked to her right.

Inuyasha stood there, his tie loose on his uniform shirt like he had been running. He was breathing hard as he stared down at her, his phone still held up to his ear.

Her lips parted in surprise. "Inuyasha…"

"You idiot!" He snapped, shoving his phone into his pocket as he crossed quickly to her. He grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her to her feet and straight into his arms. The wind was knocked out of her she was crushed to his chest so abruptly. He held her tightly, one hand fisted tightly in the fabric of her blazer.

"You idiot," He said again, but this time his voice was soft and full of anxiety. "What were you thinking? Why did you go with them? Why didn't you wait for me?" His breath tickled her neck as he spoke, and she could smell him where her face was pressed against his collar bone. All of her senses tried to wake her brain up from its surprise.

He had come to find her. He had been so worried, that he'd run around the streets, looking for her. He had come to get her, despite not knowing the danger he could have been in. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that he would have come to her rescue like this. And she felt so _safe_. Gosh, his arms were so strong around her. And he was holding onto her like she might disappear again if he let go. Carefully she wrapped her arms around him, and let out a shuddering breath against his neck. She couldn't help the quiet sob that came from her chest and the tears that trailed down her cheek. She thought she might cry for ages, but strangely she found that only a few tears escaped. All of her fear had been sapped right out of her and replaced with the overwhelming feeling of relief and protection.

"Inuyasha," She said finally, "Thank you for coming to get me."

He pulled back and she found him looking down at her with a worried frown. Wow. He looked so sincere. Had he always been like this? Was this the Inuyasha that was always hidden beneath the hard exterior? She wondered if Kikyo got to see this often. After yesterday and today, Kagome was beginning to think she should cry to him more often.

He inspected her face then pulled back further to look the rest of her up and down. He didn't seem to believe that she was really unharmed. She loved it. She wished he would worry over her forever.

Her phone was still held loosely in her hand, and when it buzzed they both looked at it.

"Ah," She said. "It's Sango."

"Tsk. Are you going to answer it?" She looked up at him, unsure, so he took it and answered it himself. "Hey. Yeah, I'm with her. We're on the corner of 16th east and 4th north. Yeah. Ok." He hung up and said to Kagome, "She's headed here. You seriously need to answer your phone more often. Sango and Miroku have been trying to get ahold of you for ages." He put the phone back in her hand. "At the very least answer when I call from now on, ok?"

"Ok. I'm sorry," She sniffed. "Looks like I'm crying all over you again." She reached up to wipe her face, only to wince. He noticed. Immediately all his attention was back on her face. She tried to turn away, but he stopped her.

"Let me see." He said.

"I'm ok," She assured him, her hands still up to hide her face.

He pulled her hands down by the wrists, then took her chin in his hand. She winced again, but his touch was actually quite gentle. Even though his face was becoming more frightening as he looked at her face. She wondered if bruises were already beginning to show.

"Who did this?" He hissed, acid in every syllable. "And don't you give me that run around crap you've been giving me. You tell me who the hell I have to break for this."

She blinked at the hostility in his eyes. Not at her, but at whoever had hurt her. Despite how angry he was, she couldn't help but smile a little. He cared about her. He was ready to go up in arms against whoever was bothering her. And right now all of his thoughts were on her.

They wouldn't be for long. She would tell him everything—of course she would. How could she keep it secret now? She would tell him all about Onigumo and Naraku and why she had dressed like her sister. And then all of his thoughts would be back on Kikyo as he worried and brooded over her.

Gosh, she was so selfish. At a time like this, with everything that was happening, how could she be jealous? So stupid. She was still just a seventeen year old girl, after all.

She let her selfishness rage for a moment. Why shouldn't she? She'd just been through something horribly traumatic. Then the man she was crazy about, and was now unable to deny just how crazy about him she was, had chased after her. Looking up at him, she could swear he was glowing a little bit. She wanted him to herself for just another moment before she had to hand him back over to her sister.

Dropping her phone in her pocket, she reached up and put her hands on either side of Inuyasha's face. He was already so close that it wasn't hard at all to bring his face a little closer and kiss him.

His lips were softer than she expected. And warmer. He didn't respond, but at least he didn't jerk away in disgust. She pulled back and opened her eyes, only to see him staring at her. The innocent surprise on his face made her heart ache. Her selfishness ebbed and she stepped back, a touch of guilt and sadness to her smile.

"Thank you, Inuyasha," She said sincerely, "I'm glad you came to find me."

Over his shoulder, she saw Sango turn a corner onto their street. She spotted them and sprinted forward, Miroku turning the corner on her heels. Inuyasha hadn't moved. He still stared at her with amber eyes.

"Don't worry," Kagome said, reaching down to pick up her schoolbag, trying not to look at him again. "I'll tell you everything."


	9. Spider Threads

A/N: Blah diddly blah. Fav and review. :)

* * *

Spider Threads

May

She wasn't so different after all.

He didn't know what he had expected. No, he did know. He had expected to be surprised. Because if there was one thing she could do it was surprise him. And in a way he was a little surprised—surprised at how she had acted just like everyone else.

She had avoided him. She hadn't wanted anyone to see that she had come up to his classroom to find him. She hadn't even mentioned anything to Kikyo.

Students in his homeroom class were taking their seats around him, including Kikyo, whom he had just walked to school with. Inuyasha had arrived at his seat only to find his red leather jacket draped over his desk.

Yesterday, the last he had seen of that jacket, it was bobbing through the crowd as Kagome held it over her head to protect herself from the rain. He hadn't really thought about what he was doing when he had given it to her. He'd just bumped into her on the corner, rain drizzling down on them as they waited for the streetlight to change. He had been in a bad mood—he was always in a bad mood when he had to visit his father's offices uptown. He didn't like it. That was Sesshomaru's territory. He always felt unwanted and out of place. It wasn't his problem that his father had, against everyone's wishes, written Inuyasha into his will as the future inheritor of Tessaiga Incorporations. Then the idiot had gone off and died. Tch.

Sesshomaru was better suited to it. That's what everyone said. His pissed off older brother was still butt sore about it, too. Whatever. It's not like Inuyasha really cared. He hardly had anything to do with the company, and when he graduated he'd probably just leave it behind. Why should he care? He had Kikyo. He'd just follow her to university or wherever she wanted to go. He didn't owe his dead old man anything. He'd probably let them all down, anyway.

He'd been so annoyed, wandering back towards downtown, that he almost hadn't noticed Kagome stop beside him on the sidewalk. She hadn't said anything, just stood there, probably smiling that annoying, knowing smile, until he'd finally noticed her. She was wet, the idiot. She was in a light dress, completely unprepared for the spring rain that had come out of nowhere in the afternoon. Normally it didn't rain like that until the fall. He'd just looked at her blankly and she'd greeted him in a friendly manner. He'd kept walking, still fuming, not paying her any attention. She'd walked beside him quietly and pleasantly. What did she have to be so cheerful about? Moron. She didn't have any cares, did she?

He'd snapped at her finally, asking her what the heck she was doing wandering around in the rain and following him around for no reason. She'd rolled her eyes and responded that she was in town to buy some strange talcum powder and herb concoction for the shrine that her grandfather said they needed.

Unbidden, she had kept talking, "He's always telling me I have to remember all this stuff for when I take over the shrine, but I don't see how it's helpful. What could this even be good for? I know what you're thinking. Probably 'why do it if it isn't your problem'. Right? Well, you see, it kind of is. My family will need _someone_ to take care of the shrine. Besides, my sister will be doing other things, so I guess it's left up to me."

He had blinked. That had sounded a bit familiar to him.

She had continued, "It's fine, though. I don't really mind in the long run. My dad used to love running the shrine with my grandpa, and I guess it still reminds me of him And it's good to have something that's mine and people who are relying on me. I don't want to let them down—anything my dad can do, I can do."

He had stopped walking and looked down at her again for the first time since she had stood next to him on the corner. She was shivering in the rain, but didn't look put out about it. Why was she smiling so much about something that she didn't really want to do? Was she really that cool with being stuck with the shrine her whole life? Cool with making proud a man who wasn't even on the earth anymore?

She…was in his same situation. Yet she was completely different from him.

He wasn't sure why, but then he had slid his jacket off and dropped it over her head.

"Go home," He'd said, "If you get a cold you'll probably end up blaming me, even though you're the one holding me up, doing all the talking."

She'd stared at him for a minute, and he'd shifted, realizing he'd done something out of character. He almost angrily snatched it back and stomped away, but then she'd smiled, thanked him, and hurried away.

It had been a while since he'd done something nice for someone else. Why bother, when it usually backfired in his face? But this had felt…fine, he guessed. Besides. She was Kikyo's sister. Right?

Except he hadn't mentioned it to Kikyo. He wasn't sure why. Probably he'd just been embarrassed. But since Kikyo hadn't mentioned it, he assumed Kagome hadn't said anything about it, either.

And now here was the jacket, quietly sitting on his desk. He was…disappointed. Kagome must have snuck into his classroom early that morning to avoid being seen. He had thought that she didn't have an issue being seen with him. She certainly didn't ever act afraid of him. Maybe he had been overthinking that, though. Maybe she was only ever being polite to him, and didn't really see him as more than the guy everyone avoided.

He sat down in his seat as the teacher called the class to attention. He left the jacket there, not wanting to look at it, annoyed that the whole thing was annoying him. Instead he put his chin in his palm, blankly looking around the classroom, always finding his eyes drawn to the back of Kikyo's head, like usual. She was paying very close attention to the teacher. Of course. She was a great student. She would have no issues getting into the university of her choice and going on to become a great doctor, just like she wanted. Meanwhile, unless he could get rid of it, he'd be stuck with his father's business. Like Kagome.

Geeze, why did she have to be so happy about her lot in life? It made him look like an even bigger jerk. Whatever. Kikyo didn't care that he didn't want to keep his father's business—she wanted him to come with her to university, and leave the company and his family behind. That was fine by him.

He slid his jacket off the desktop when his teacher passed back an assignment. Something fluttered to the floor and Inuyasha glanced down at it. It was a folded piece of paper with his name on it. He picked it up and opened it.

_Thank you!_ It read. _You're a good friend. –K._

So, Kagome had surprised him yet again.

A good friend? She was delusional. He was a terrible friend, if he could even be called a friend at all. At least she hadn't gotten a cold. At least she hadn't found him strange. At least she hadn't made a big deal about it by telling everyone or embarrassing him in front of Kikyo. At least she hadn't left his jacket there early that morning in order to avoid him.

He snorted at the note, then tucked it carefully into the pocket of his jacket before pulling out a pencil to do the assignment.

: : :

* * *

September

Inuyasha hardly looked at her the rest of that day.

As she had expected, he had gone all quiet and broody as she told him about Kikyo and Onigumo. They had gone back to the school, simply because they didn't know where else to go. School had ended by then, and they'd found a safe room where they wouldn't be overheard. Inuyasha had sat in a desk a couple feet away from the rest of them, arms crossed, frowning at the floor as he listened to Miroku's exclamations of the information Kagome gave him. She couldn't help but glance over at Inuyasha every once in a while, trying to guess what he could be thinking. Was he angry? Was he worried? He was being even more cryptic than usual. But when she quietly related to Miroku and Sango the threats Naraku had given her, she could feel him turn in her direction. She met his eyes and held his gaze for a few moments until Sango went on an angry rant about psychopaths who deserved to die.

"So what now?" Sango asked when everything had been talked over twice. She and Kagome turned to Miroku. He was biting his lip, his hands on his hips. He didn't respond, obviously deep in thought.

"Miroku?" Sango said. He looked up at him, surprised to find them staring at him. He smiled.

"First thing's first—I don't want you two to worry. Keep on your toes, keep your eyes open, and don't be afraid to call for help if you need it. If anyone hears or sees anything we need to report back to each other. Keeping each other out of the loop can be dangerous at this point. But the last thing we need is to get paranoid and afraid. That's exactly what Naraku would want."

They nodded, and Kagome hoped that she could accomplish those orders.

"Should I…tell my family?" She asked.

Miroku and Sango looked at each other.

"I would say that's up to you, Kagome," Miroku said. "You know your family better than we do."

She nodded, mulling it over in her mind.

She wasn't exactly happy that they didn't come up with any real solutions. Sango had suggested just calling the police, but Miroku had explained that that would just up the stakes of the game for Naraku. For now they should play dumb. He promised them he was working on a way out of all this, but he hadn't said what it was yet.

Everyone walked Kagome home, including Inuyasha, who remained quiet the whole way. Nearly everyone was quiet, actually. They were all tense as they looked down every side street for suspicious cars or women in red. The group went up the shrine steps with her, and Kagome released a breath she didn't know she was holding when she saw that her home was still in one piece. Miroku and Inuyasha waited at the top of the steps while Sango walked her to the door.

Sango took her hand and Kagome held back tightly. They turned to each other in front of the door and hugged.

"I'm so glad you're ok," Sango said. "I was so worried."

Kagome nodded against her shoulder.

"Will you be ok tonight?"

Kagome pulled back and gave her a smile. "Yes, I think I'll be fine."

"Are you going to talk to your family?"

"I dunno yet. I'm not sure what to say about it…it feels like if I tell them then it'll all be real, and inside I really just want it to be a dream." She sighed. "I wish Kikyo were here. She's so level headed—she could handle this better than me. She _has_ been handling it better than me for months."

"Not that much better," Sango said dryly. "She had to run away, remember?"

Kagome sighed again. She wondered if, in the end, her entire family would have to run away. She didn't say that to Sango. "I'll be ok tonight." Hopefully.

"Ok. Call me if you want me to come sleep over or anything. I can make some TV dinners for my dad and brother. They'll be fine for a night."

Kagome smiled. "No, go home. Don't worry, I'll keep my phone on me."

"You sure?"

"_Yes_, Sango!" Kagome said with a wider, more comforting smile for her friend. "I'll be ok." She squeezed her hand and pushed her away gently. Sango was reluctant, but Kagome continued to smile as she opened her front door. She looked over to Miroku and Inuyasha. The two boys were talking about something. They appeared very serious as they leaned toward each other, probably speaking in low tones. What were they talking about? Inuyasha glanced over to her after a second, and then Miroku followed his gaze. Miroku grinned and waved, and she gave a small wave back. Inuyasha just watched as she went inside.

Once inside, she leaned back against the door. The front hallway was empty and dim. Her family's shoes were lined up in front of her, and jackets hung on the wall. In the distance she could hear her little brother telling a story to her mother that made the woman laugh. Out the window she could see her grandfather sweeping the patio near the shrine door. They were all ok. They were all home safe. No one was hurt or missing. The house hadn't been burned down. She wished she could check on Kikyo, too, but she was hundreds of miles away. She hoped she would actually call this weekend like she was supposed to so they could all talk to her. She wondered what she should say.

_Onigumo knows where you are._

_Also he's a major gang leader named Naraku._

_And he hates me._

_Oh, and I kissed your boyfriend._

She snorted at herself. Definitely not that.

* * *

"Dad," Sango said to him in the morning, "Can we talk for a minute?"

Her father was sitting on the edge of the dojo porch, his head in his hands. "What is it?" He mumbled.

She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Kohaku hadn't wandered down the hall after finishing his dinner. "Dad, it's about Mr. Naraku…We…I don't think we should be involved with him anymore. I think…he's not really what he seems."

She stopped when her father held a piece of paper out without looking up at her.

Sango took it. She stopped after reading the first couple lines, her heart skipping painfully. She started over, her vision clouding over with worry and anger so much that she had to start over a third time.

"But this…this is…he can't do this."

"He can do whatever he wants. That's what happens when you make deals with shady men. It's our own fault for being so desperate in the first place."

"We _had_ to," Sango said, her voice shaking, "We didn't have a choice! Kohaku—"

"_Keep your voice down_," Masa hissed darkly, startling her. Her father never used that tone with her. She swallowed as she looked at his worn, tired face. He looked like every burden in the world was slowly crushing down on him. She swallowed.

"What can we do?" She asked more quietly.

"All we can do is give him everything we've got."

That startled her again. "But all our savings…Kohaku's heart…"

"We'll sell the dojo."

"What?"

"We have to. It's our only option to repay Mr. Naraku. It still won't be enough, but it's a start."

Her mouth hung open. She couldn't wrap her head around it. Were they really going to lose the dojo, along with all of their savings? They had been accumulating as much as they could for years, hoping to get Kohaku a new heart. They'd have to start over from scratch now. And this time it would been even harder, because they would lose their source of income. Where would her father work? He wasn't qualified to do any other than martial arts and minimum wage jobs. What would be her livelihood in the future? She wouldn't be able to go to community college with Kagome so she could prepare to take over the dojo. She wouldn't need to, anyway.

Masa had stood up and walked over to her. He put a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Sango," He said, the anger in his voice gone. Now he just sounded old. "We'll…we'll figure this out."

All she could do was nod.

* * *

This was unfolding even faster and more strangely than Miroku could have imagined. His mind was still spinning from the information Kagome had shared with them all that afternoon. He couldn't sleep—how could he, when he could feel Naraku finally coming within reach? So here he was, rubbing his eyes, staring at the clippings on the wall in front of him. An old article about a con a decade ago, a blurry photograph of Kagura Wasanabi leaving the scene of a crime hours before it was reported, small head shots of the known members of Naraku's band, a list of alias names that were almost certainly Naraku…and a dozen other articles, pictures, sticky notes, old files, and theories.

Miroku leaned back against the kitchen table. Keeping his eyes on the wall of clippings, he picked up his mug of tea and sipped it, only to wince. It was cold. He glanced at the clock. Three o'clock in the morning. Had he really been here that long? Had he eaten anything? He took a second to listen. The apartment he shared with his uncle on the edge of downtown was incredibly small. Often they could hear police sirens going by and the sounds of the city always seeped in through the window and closed blinds. The kitchen was tiny and doubled as a study space for Miroku. His desk was three feet from the kitchen table, and was covered in more restricted files and background reports than an eighteen year old should ever have. There was a crammed bathroom and one bedroom that they technically shared, but his uncle always passed out on the old sofa with the TV on and a beer in his hand. He was a pleasant old man, although he wasn't terribly responsible. An old friend of his father's, who had been good enough to raise Miroku when his father had left.

Miroku rubbed his face. At this rate, he'd end up just as mad as his father had. Chasing ghosts across the country. Never really sure if what you saw was a trick of the light or an apparition. Losing your job while everyone laughed at you or shook their heads sadly.

But he was closer than his father had ever been. He had a direct connection with Kagome, and Kagome had a direct connection with Naraku. He was _so close_.

He left his cold tea on the table and moved to the desk. He shuffled through the stacks of papers, not really sure what he was looking for. Fool. He should go to bed. His brain wasn't working as quickly as it should have been. He sighed before picking up a short stack of pictures.

The top one was of Kagome and Kikyo. He'd drawn on it with pen a few days ago—a red circle around Kikyo's face with the note, "Direct witness; victim". He searched quickly for his pen, then circled Kagome's face and added the same note. Kagome was proving to be a good ally. She was level headed for a teenage girl, and despite her fear and worry, it didn't look like she was about to break down. Good. He needed her to stay together long enough for them to catch the monster.

He moved the picture to the back of the stack and looked at the next one. It was a candid shot of Inuyasha, zoomed in from across the street. Hachi was sort of an idiot, and Miroku wasn't always certain how he was working at the detective agency, but he was good at blending in. He wasn't a bad shot, either, and it wasn't hard for Miroku to bribe him into helping him out sometimes.

He considered Inuyasha's picture. The boy looked angry, although he was just walking down the street. He always looked angry. Well, almost always. Miroku had seen him smile more in the last three months than he had since he had known him, which was about ten years, now. Anyone else might have said it was because of Kikyo. That was the obvious answer. But Miroku wasn't like "anyone else". He was hyper observant, even when he wasn't trying, and he could see that it wasn't Kikyo—it was Kagome, even before Kikyo had left. He doubted that Inuyasha had even noticed it himself.

Miroku had been watching Inuyasha for years. He was interesting, and he came from a family and a position that was…unusual. Miroku'd almost given up on him when it seemed like all he was headed towards was a life in juvie and then jail. Then he'd met Kikyo, and he'd become interesting again. And now he was even offering Miroku his help in whatever way he could. He had been surprised when Inuyasha had pulled him aside at Kagome's house earlier that day and told him that he had "resources" he could offer. Miroku smirked at the memory. He was rarely wrong about a hunch, and he was glad to see his hunch about Inuyasha had been right. He was certainly proving to be _very_ interesting.

He set Inuyasha's picture aside, on top of a file marked "Taiko family". Under Inuyasha's picture was one of Sango. She was smiling happily, dressed in her softball uniform, her teammates laughing behind her. Miroku smiled slightly as he looked at it. He had first paid attention to her after a tip from Hachi that her family had done business with Naraku. After a while he'd realized that neither she nor her family were actually working for the criminal, and he had been surprised at how relieved he had felt. For someone who was so hyper aware, he had almost missed his own growing feelings.

Sango was strong and easygoing. He admired her for it. He had been raised to watch everyone, to trust no one. It left him paranoid, with few real friends and an aloof playboy personality that allowed him to avoid too much scrutiny. He wished he could be fearless and real, two things which seemed to come easily to Sango. Her beautiful smile had caught his attention, but her firm personality had kept it. He tapped the picture against his chin twice, then slid it behind the stack with Kagome's.

And froze.

Where…where had this last picture come from?

It was of his father. In a hotel room, lying on the floor. His eyes were open as he looked blankly into space, a dribble of bile on his chin. His skin was gray, and next to him Miroku could see the shoes of a police officer. This was the day they had found his dead father.

He felt sick. And then he felt afraid.

In three strides he crossed the tiny apartment to the living room, hurried around the couch, and shook the large man snoring there.

"Mushin! Mushin! Get up!"

Mushin snorted awake, blinking quickly. "What, what is it? What's wrong?"

"This picture—where did it come from?" He held up the photo of his father.

Mushin frowned as he tried to focus his eyes. He rubbed his face, sleep lines pressed into his wrinkled skin. "Mmm, I dunno…it's one of them pictures…from your desk, right?" He yawned.

"Where did it come from? Did you put it there? Did Hachi come in and leave it?"

"No, I…mmm, I dunno…why's it matter…what time is it?"

"It matters! Do you know where it came from?"

"I dunno, Miroku," Mushin waved him back, taking a sip of his bottle only to frown at it for being empty. "Mmm, I just picked 'em all up earlier when I saw them knocked over on the floor. Put them in a stack on your desk again—didn't want you getting mad at me for your stuff getting disorganized."

Miroku ignored the man as he flopped back against the couch again. He slowly stood and walked back toward the kitchen, staring at the photograph. He flipped it over, but there was nothing on the back. He looked around his desk, but nothing else was out of place, nothing was missing, there were no warning notes.

It didn't matter, though. Miroku had gotten the message clear enough.

* * *

Surprisingly, the tonic and tea that her grandfather had given her did help her sleep. So well that when she had woken up and groggily looked at the clock, it had taken her several minutes to realize it was half an hour later than she normally got up. She stumbled around her room, finding her uniform and pulling it on. Then she slowed down when she remembered that she didn't have to be Kikyo today. There wasn't a point anymore.

She came downstairs to the kitchen, where he mother cheerfully greeted her and said she was up later than usual. Actually, for Kagome this timing would have been normal. It was only the last month that she had been getting up extra early in order to make it to school as Kikyo. Kagome shrugged and sat down at breakfast, watching her brother tease the cat and listening to her grandfather go on about the fall weather and the old lanterns that needed to be hung around the shrine. She agreed to helping him do it the next week without much fuss.

She hadn't told her family anything. She hadn't been able to bring herself to. All she'd been able to get out was an earnest plea to her mother to be careful and watch out for strangers. Asako had been concerned at her daughter's desperate request, asking what was wrong, but Kagome had only been able to shake her head until Asako had promised. Her mother was smart. She would keep her eyes open and the doors locked.

Souta left the table and hurried to grab his things. "See you later!"

"Wait, Souta!" Kagome said, jumping up. "I'll walk half way with you!"

"What?" Souta scoffed, pulling on a jacket. "What for?"

"Er, why not? It's not strange for a sister to walk her little brother to school."

"It is if that sister is a monster."

"Hey!"

"I'm meeting up with Shippo, anyway. I'm not waiting for you. Bye, mom!" And he was out the door. Kagome pressed her lips together. When she noticed her mother watching her carefully she turned the expression into a smile.

With her blazer on and her backpack over her shoulder she pulled on her shoes.

"Oh, Kagome," Her mother said, handing her a lunch. "It looks like you have a friend waiting for you outside."

Kagome's heart stopped. She jumped to her feet and rushed to the window, madly searching the trees for any sign of Naraku's wavy hair or Kagura's red dress. A flash of crimson by the tree line drew her attention, but her fear was replaced by confusion when she saw Inuyasha in his red jacket, leaning against a tree trunk by the top of the stairs.

What? What was he doing here? Her heart skipped again, but in a completely different way. She scolded it until it beat normally.

"Tell him hello for us," Asako said with a smile. Then she put her hand on Kagome's shoulder and said more seriously. "You be careful, too, Kagome. I'm here when you need me."

Kagome nodded with a grateful smile for her mother's patience and love. She opened the door and stepped out. Inuyasha saw her and pushed away from the tree. She walked out to him, swallowing hard and trying not to avoid his gaze. She couldn't believe she had kissed him. A pure moment of insanity, spurred by a traumatic experience. She willed herself to act normal and not cry.

"Hey," She said, trying not to sound like she was out of breath.

"Hey," He replied.

The wind picked up a bit, and it was cool on her pink cheeks. It would warm up by midday, but fall was definitely on its way. "Thank you," She said.

He cocked his head.

"For picking me up," She smiled. "You're here to walk me to school, right? Was it that obvious that I was freaked out yesterday?"

"Tch." He turned toward the stairs. "Of course it was. But it's fine."

"Mmm." She followed a step behind him. Walking beside him was too…close. More than once before they reached the bottom step she opened her mouth to apologize for kissing him, but each time she closed her lips again. She didn't want to bring it up. That would be addressing the elephant in the room too directly. Besides, while she did feel bad about doing it, she didn't regret it. She had done it. It had happened. She wasn't going to pretend it hadn't.

Instead she said when they reached the bottom, "Guess we'll have to tell people that Kikyo left for real now. We'll just pretend that it was yesterday instead of a month ago. I can't go to school as Kikyo anymore."

He was quiet for a minute. Then he said, "Good."

* * *

Masa insisted on walking Kohaku to school that morning, despite his son's protests that he was old enough to go by himself. Sango would have teased him about wanting to look cool for the cute little girl he'd been hanging out with lately, Rin, but she wasn't in the mood.

She left the house a couple minutes after her father and brother, double-checking all the doors to make sure they were locked. She pulled out her phone, checking it for the umpteenth time to make sure Kagome hadn't called or texted her. She hadn't slept very soundly, checking her phone several times during the night, worried about Kagome. And now the same despicable man who was hurting her friend was bringing the hammer down on her own family. How? How had Naraku managed to infiltrate both of their lives without them noticing? What could she do about it?

She walked numbly down the sidewalk, thoughts racing around her head, anger and fear and bile rising in her throat. Her grip on her schoolbag was so tight it was pinching her palm, but she ignored it. She was so angry she wanted to punch through every wall in town until she found Naraku.

A shift up ahead of her made her inhale sharply. Was it Naraku or one of his lackeys? Was she skilled enough as a fighter to take them?

She blinked when she saw Miroku.

He was doing something on his phone, but when he saw her he put it away and smiled. "Good morning, Sango. You look beautiful, as always."

"What are you doing here?" She asked, perplexed.

"I'm waiting for you, of course. You think I'd let you walk to school by yourself when we have a known murderer in our midst?"

She narrowed her eyes, but he just kept smiling. Was he serious? He was here to walk to her school? Why? To harass her? To…make sure she was safe? "You should be walking Kagome to school, not me."

"And deny Inuyasha the opportunity of being a gentleman? How could I?"

Sango raised her eyebrows. Inuyasha was picking Kagome up? And Miroku knew about it? Since when did they coordinate? She gave him another sidelong look, then kept walking.

"Besides, I wanted to make sure you were safe," He said, keeping pace next to her.

"Please. I have a better chance at surviving a run in than you do." She said.

"Ah, well, that might be true. Well, then, maybe I'm here so _you_ can protect _me_."

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He walked alongside her easily, practically humming to himself. He didn't even make any moves to grab her hand, or worse, her butt.

His house was on the other side of the school, closer to downtown. He had gone very out of his way to stop by her house on the way too school. She wondered how early he had gotten up to get there before she had left. He would have known that she liked to get to school early, and would have had to compensate for that.

Hmm. She felt…at ease. Her panic from earlier had calmed down. Miroku was an idiot, but he was a smart idiot, and he knew more about what was going on than any of them. She would tell him about the letter Naraku had sent her father, of course, but maybe not right this second. Maybe she would just walk beside him for a bit.

"Ok," She said. "Fine. But any funny business, and I'm breaking your shins."

"Me? Funny business? I would never."

She smiled. "Sure, you wouldn't."

* * *

"Don't give me that look," Sango said firmly.

"What look? I'm not giving you a look," Kagome said, turning away.

"You so are! You think this is because of you."

Kagome was quiet for a moment. "Isn't it?"

"_No_. This is because Naraku is a psychopath."

Miroku watched them both, Sango with her arms stubbornly crossed, Kagome just as stubbornly biting her lip and frowning out the window. Miroku stood with his hands in his pockets, leaning against the teacher's desk. They were getting to know this classroom pretty well. It was a second year classroom that always happened to be deserted around this time of day, and it was extremely useful. On one of the student's desks in the front row were the letter to Sango's father and the photograph of Miroku's father. Inuyasha sat on top of the next desk over, his feet on a chair, looking down at the two items.

"He still wouldn't be trying to hurt you like this if he didn't know we were friends," Kagome said solemnly.

Sango opened her mouth to argue, but Miroku stepped forward.

"Yes, he would, Kagome," He said. "He may be acting now in order to get at you, but he still would have eventually cracked down on Sango's family, and he's never liked my family. It was only a matter of time. There may be more repercussions, though, so we should keep an eye on all of our friends. I wouldn't put it past him to strike out at other innocents. Yes, he's doing this to fence you in, but you can't let it bother you."

At that, Kagome snapped. "Can't let it _bother_ me?" She said fiercely, her voice rising. "Of course I'm going to let it bother me! I'm not just going to sit by while all of my friends and their loved ones get hurt just because I know Naraku's doing it to lure me out!"

"You have to," Miroku said, "He's just trying to play your emotions exactly like this so that you'll give him what he wants. No matter what happens you can't turn yourself—"

Kagome slammed a hand down on the desk, shaking the picture and letter and startling everyone. "Of course I'm not turning myself in! _No one is_! If anything, I'd only do it so I could get close enough to wring his disgusting neck myself!" She huffed, turning away and pacing to the end of the row of desks and then back. "But if that jerk is going to play dirty, then maybe we should, too! I'm not letting people get hurt because of me, especially if he's just waiting until I break so he can have free reign to nab my sister!" She stopped, facing them all with her hands on her hips. "So, what's the next move? What do we do?"

Miroku was speechless as he looked over at the young girl. He glanced at Inuyasha and saw that the dark haired boy was smirking at her from behind. Inuyasha noticed Miroku looking and turned away.

"That's what I've been saying," Sango agreed just as huffily. "What do we do?"

They turned to Miroku. But it was Inuyasha who answered.

"We hit back."

They all turned to him. He had his chin resting on his fist, and spoke plainly, his eyes closed. "Guys like this are more about the game than the actual goal. He wants Kikyo, but he'll care less when he has her. He hates us, but only so long as it's fun for him. In fact, he'll be waiting for us to retaliate. He's hoping we will. It'll make it more exciting for him. And we should, but the trick is doing it the right way. To kill a snake you can't cut it just anywhere, or it'll keep biting. You have to cut its head off to ensure that it's gone."

They were all silent. Miroku said the obvious, "You've met people like him before."

Inuyasha opened his eyes and slid them toward Miroku. Miroku could see the yellow in them even from where he was.

"I've been around." Inuyasha said. Then he jumped off the desk and stuck his hands in his jacket pockets. "I admit, all the fish I've fried have been smaller than him—usually just lowly gangsters being idiots. But I'm always up for a challenge." He smirked, but it wasn't the same smile that he had had for Kagome minutes earlier. This was cold. "I'll leave the psychological criminal crap to you, Miroku. Street fights are what I know how to do." He headed toward the door. "Make sure Kagome gets home safe, ok?"

"Hmm?" Kagome said with surprise, "Where are you going?"

"I've got some people I have to see. I'll tell you about it later." Then he left the classroom.

"You know," Sango said after a second, "He's an interesting guy."

"I couldn't agree with you more, Sango," Miroku said.

* * *

Street fights were his thing. He'd been in so many since the age of ten, it would be impossible to remember them all, let alone count them. He'd won plenty of them, and lost his fair share, as well. Smalls scars were left on his chin and hands, and bruises and fat lips were so common to him he barely noticed them anymore. But even if he didn't notice, everyone else could still see them. He'd walked the halls of the high school looking like a wreck more than once, and that had certainly only added to the exaggerated rumors floating around the student body. It had been a few months since his last real run in, but he still felt pretty confident that he would stand a solid chance in any fight.

But despite feeling that way, and despite all of his confidence to Kagome and the others earlier, this was really a different sort of fight than he'd ever been in. Intellectual battles had never been his forte. Geeze. He hated all of this.

"Are you sure, Mr. Taiko?" Miyoga said.

"Quit calling me that," Inuyasha responded. He wandered along the plush carpet, scanning the titles of the hundreds of books on the mahogany shelves. Every once in a while he'd pull one out and lazily look over its boring title before putting it back. On the wall at the far end of the room was a portrait of his father. The handsome man had the same eyes as Inuyasha, but the same narrow face and pale hair as Sessomaru. The expression he wore was a mixture of smug pride and a knowing smile. Inuyasha avoided looking at it. It already felt like it was watching him, he didn't want to confirm that.

Behind him was a massive, wooden and lacquered desk. It had been his father's, supposedly, but the man had died long before Inuyasha had ever visited this place. Sitting there now was San Totosaiwa, whom everyone referred to as "Totosai", much to his annoyance. He was old and thin, with wide eyes that he usually narrowed while he thought. He sat quietly, his thin fingers folded in front of him. Daisuke Miyoga stood by the desk, watching Inuyasha anxiously.

"Mr. Tai—er, Inuyasha. Do you realize what it is you're saying?" Miyoga continued, wiping the nervous sweat from his baldhead with a handkerchief. "I mean, it isn't to say that I'm not glad that you've taken an interest in your father's company finally, but, but, this may be a bit soon. A bit out of your element. I don't think you quite understand what it is you're getting into."

Inuyasha exhaled heavily, looking down at himself. Miyoga was right. He was still wearing his school uniform, his tie too loose from weeks of Kikyo being gone and him not caring as much about all those stupid rules. Over his uniform was his red leather jacket, his long black hair falling over his shoulders. He certainly didn't look like the son of a major business tycoon. He had no clue what he was doing.

But he had to do something. This crazy stuff with Kagome and Naraku had given him no choice.

He turned around, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Then he had the sudden thought that maybe that was too juvenile, so he took them out again. "I know what I'm getting into. Don't worry—you'll both still have jobs. I'm in high school, after all. I can't do everything."

"Yes, that's exactly my point. Wouldn't you like to take it a bit slower? Wouldn't you like to work a bit but save time to focus on your studies? There's no need to rush!"

"There is a need to rush. There are…some things I need to get done. It can't wait."

"Yes, and that worries me even more," Miyoga said, glancing at Totosai. Totosai kept a calm gaze on Inuyasha, ignoring the short man next to him. Miyoga kept going, "I don't mean that—I don't presume—that there would be any ulterior _motives_, it's just that, well, given your history, not that it's a _history_ by any means, just a background, er, a… thing…I'm just not sure why you want to do this _now_."

Inuyasha clenched his jaw. Dang it, he didn't want to have to explain everything to these idiots. There was no way they would let him do what he wanted if he admitted that it had to do with a major crime lord. That would make them seriously hesitant.

"Listen," He started, trying to sound like he knew what he was doing, "The last thing I'm going to do is run this company into the ground. I'm not an idiot—I'm not going to sell out just so I can keep the cash, I'm not going to hire thugs from the street, and I'm not going to burn all our bridges with our partners. Even if Sessomaru's stupid law firm is one of them. In fact, I'm perfectly happy to leave most of those matters to you guys. What I need is…All I'm asking for is…" Money? Resources? Free reign? No questions asked? None of that sounded good.

Totosai stood up, cutting him off. Inuyasha and Miyoga both looked at him as he calmly straightened the papers on his desk.

"We'll prepare some things for you," Totosai said. "You're welcome to come in whenever you like, although I may suggest that a more steady schedule would be best and will show the right responsibility to your subordinates. They'll be more willing to follow when they know you can lead."

"Wait, what?" Miyoga squeaked. "You don't mean to say that you're going to let Inuyasha head up the company!"

"That's what he's asking, isn't it?" Totosai said. He tucked the papers under his arm and stepped out from behind the desk.

"Totosai! Are-are you serious? He's a boy!"

Totosai picked at an ear unconcernedly. "The young master has shown an interest in his birthright. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Yes, but, but…"

"So, let him do it. Why not?"

"Why not? There are so many reasons why not!" Miyoga complained.

Inuyasha watched with raised eyebrows as Totosai neared him. The old man put a hand out and patted his shoulder twice. "This business was meant for you. Your father had always intended it to take care of you and your mother. In fact, it was because of this company that the two of them met. He had broken away from his own family to create a business that he believed could be honest and do some good. He always said the best good it ever did was introducing him to Izayoi." Totosai leaned toward Inuyasha, and for the first time Inuyasha could see in his eyes how serious he was. "This company was more than just an income for him. He hoped it would be more than an income to you as well. It is yours, so you may do what you like. That's your prerogative. But let me say, Inuyasha, that if you expect to benefit from this, you will find that it doesn't come free. You will have to carry the responsibilities in order to receive the rewards. And that's how your father intended it, too." He patted him again and walked past him to the door. "Don't worry, we won't leave you to tread water by yourself! We counseled your father, we'll counsel you. Now, Miyoga, hurry up, we have a meeting with the investors in fifteen minutes."

"Ah, what? Yes," Miyoga hurried after Totosai, giving Inuyasha an unsure look as he passed.

Inuyasha was left in the large office by himself, looking at the empty chair behind the desk, his father's portrait looking down at him. He swallowed, suddenly feeling like the room had become very tight around him. He took a couple breaths and then shook his head, angrily fighting off his own insecurities. He humphed at the picture of Inutaisho, then walked out.

Anything his old man could do, he could do.

He passed through the halls of Tessaiga Incorporation, watching the workers bustle to and fro, carrying paper work, speaking with phrases that didn't mean anything to Inuyasha. He didn't have the first clue about anything business related. He'd never thought that he would need to.

Now, all of a sudden, he did. For Kikyo, who had been taken away from him because of this stupid mess. For her family, who could be in trouble. For Miroku and Sango, who were half decent to him, but who were being dragged down just because this psycho felt like it. For every other idiot at his stupid school who could be effected, even if they didn't deserve his help. For Kagome.

Who had kissed him.

He blushed at the thought.

Gosh dang it, Kagome. What the heck was wrong with her? She was not normal. Ugh. Everything she ever did just confused him more and more. It would have been so much easier to not be her friend. He snorted to himself. Not that he'd had much of a choice. She was just so…inviting. Accepting. Warm. Everyone eventually ended up her friend. He'd seen it a dozen times in the last six months. Ridiculous.

Did she kiss all her friends?

_Idiot. Quit overthinking it, _he thought, closing his eyes and shaking his head. He had no clue what that little kiss had meant. Brief moment of insanity? Gratitude? Something else that he didn't understand? She didn't _like_ him. Right? Of course not. She fought with him more often than not. And she loved Kikyo. And so did he. So that wouldn't happen. But thinking that made him feel strangely…strange. And wondering why he felt strange made him confused.

Ugh. He had to stop thinking about it. Stop thinking about how freaked out he had been when she had disappeared from school. How relieved he'd been when he'd heard her voice on the phone. How much he'd just wanted to hold her close to keep her safe.

_Stop thinking._

He needed to focus on what in the heck he should be doing now. He needed to talk to Miroku. If Totosai was serious about letting him step into the company, then that would mean he would have a lot of power at his fingertips. Tessaiga Incorporations had a national presence, thanks to all his father's hard work, and would be a force to be reckoned with.

"You look like you have a lot on your mind."

Inuyasha looked up. He had made it to the front lobby without realizing it. A secretary sat behind a desk, taping away at a computer and talking on the phone. Fancy chairs lined the walls, an the overhead, soothing music was accompanies by the happy gurgling of a fountain in the corner.

A man sat in a chair by a little table, an open newspaper in his hands. He was in a fancy suit, probably rivaling the level of fashion Sessomaru had. His legs were crossed, and he ignored the shoulder length, wavy hair that fell over his shoulder as he flipped a page.

Having no reason to respond to the man, Inuyasha ignored him and headed for the door.

"Inuyasha," The man said in a deep, calm voice. "How I've longed to meet you."

Inuyasha stopped and turned back around. "Oh, yeah? If you're here on business, then talk to Totosai. I'm not the one you should be looking for."

The man folded the paper and stood up. "Oh, no, my business is with you alone." He put his hands behind his back, looking Inuyasha up and down. "I just wanted to meet the competition."

Inuyasha started. "You're Onigumo."

"I've been known by that name, yes. Although that certainly proves your tie to Kikyo—she's the only one that calls me that. You may call me Naraku."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, clenching his fists. "You have some gall, you bastard, showing up here."

Naraku looked back at him levelly, an annoyingly smug smile on his face. "You have some gall, thinking you're good enough for Kikyo." He gave him another once over, not looking impressed. "An…adorable notion, on your part. She's so good to humor you for a while."

A growl built up in the back of Inuyasha's throat. He was clenching his fists so hard his nails were cutting into his palms. "I'm glad you're here. I've been dying to break your face."

"Break my face? What for?" Naraku said innocently.

"For everything you've done to Kikyo, you son of a—"

"I've done nothing to Kikyo. She's perfectly safe and sound. You can't blame me because she left you. That was always bound to happen anyway. Dogs don't make good company."

Inuyasha snapped, shooting both hands out to grab Naraku by the lapels. He pulled him in close, pulling back a fist, only to pause at Naraku's grin.

He was playing the game. And Inuyasha had fallen for it like an idiot.

He dropped him immediately and Naraku straightened his suit jacket. Inuyasha glared at him, daring him to say Kikyo's name again. The secretary had stopped talking, and without looking Inuyasha knew she was staring at him. "Get out." Was all he said.

"Oh, I would. Hell knows I'd love nothing more than to leave this quaint little company. But unfortunately, I have a boring meeting to sit through." He turned toward the door that led back into the offices. He said lightly to the secretary. "The investors meeting is in the usual place, I presume?" She nodded haltingly, and Naraku headed in, saying over his shoulder to Inuyasha, "Until next time."

And suddenly Inuyasha regretted not being more involved in the company before. It was already in trouble.


	10. The Princess and the Pauper

A/N: Review!

* * *

The Princess and the Pauper

March

He'd seen her before, sure. A million times out of the corner of his eye he had seen her and turned his head, only to realize it wasn't Kikyo. Too tan. Too messy hair. Too smiley. It was the sister—what was her name? Kagome. Kikyo had mentioned it a few times.

Everyone else in his grade was even worse than he was. They were constantly mistaking the younger sister for the older one. Tch. Morons. What did they know? They idolized Kikyo, but they didn't know the first thing about her. They hated him, but they had never even spoken to him. It was all fine by him. He hated them all just the same.

Kikyo had made it different. He had hated her more than any of them, but after being forced into the same group as her by a teacher who thought she'd be a "good influence" he'd been forced to spend time with her. And she had been different than what he had thought. She wasn't the perfectly happy princess everyone thought she was. In fact she had been…sad. Sad and beautiful and non-judgmental.

"Because we're the same," She had explained one day.

He had laughed in her face. She had just given him another sad smile.

He'd followed her after that. How could he not? She was the first person who had understood him. And he soon found out that she had been right—they were the same. The princess and the pauper were both friendless, misunderstood, and overlooked. The only difference between the two of them were their families. In that she had a decent one.

"I doubt I'd make it without them," She had told him once. He had been crazy jealous, although he hadn't admitted it. His mother had died when he was young, leaving him completely alone in the world. He was stuck in the cold, heartless home of a half-brother who hated his existence. His father had died when he was an infant, and the Taiko family didn't want anything to do with Izayoi's bastard child.

Kikyo had a living mother. She had warm memories of a loving father. She had a grandfather who hadn't estranged her. She had a brother who looked up to her. She had a sister whom she had once told him was "her closest friend". Such a family was completely foreign to Inuyasha. Only in movies and books had he believed such families existed. It made him curious to see the Higurashis, but he didn't want to meet them. He didn't feel that he would mesh well with a family like that. His face alone would scare them. And he didn't really care. He wasn't looking to make friends.

But here he was, meeting the sister. She stood beside Kikyo, her schoolbag in her hands, smiling up at him. Up close, she still looked a lot like Kikyo. The same pretty face, but with a different spark behind her eyes. Interesting how that alone could make two people look so different.

Kikyo gently put a hand on her little sister's shoulder and said, "Inuyasha, this is my sister, Kagome. Kagome, you know Inuyasha."

"Of course!" Kagome said with a wide smile. "How could I not know him?"

That sounded like an insult, but after a second look Inuyasha bit his tongue. She didn't look like she was making fun of him.

"I'm so glad to finally meet you, Inuyasha," Kagome continued. "I've been bothering Kikyo for ages." She shot her sister a look, but Kikyo didn't seem bothered by it. "So, tell me more about yourself!"

What? He was so caught of guard by that, all he said was, "Um…no."

She blinked. Then giggled.

Ok, _now_ she was laughing at him. He squared his shoulders, giving her his best glare to shut her up. She didn't seem to notice it, but Kikyo raised an eyebrow at him to remind him to calm down.

Kagome just went on, despite both of them. "Alright, fair enough. I suppose we can take it slow."

"Take what slow?" He demanded, narrowing his eyes.

She shrugged. "Getting to know each other. It's ok, I know it's probably a bit different for you. But I still hope we can become friends, ok?" She smiled at him, and he just stared at her. The bell rang, and she perked up, turning to her sister. "I have to get to math. Should I wait for you after archery, or are you going home with Inuyasha?"

"Inuyasha will walk me home," Kikyo replied.

"Ok! Then I'll see you guys later, ok?" She took a step away, but it was a feint, because then she was in front of him again, smiling with even more energy. "Oh, I almost forgot! My mom said she wants to invite you to dinner sometime. Not any time soon, so don't worry, but eventually! It'd be good to have you over, since you're dating Kikyo now and all."

Ugh, that sounded awful. Dinner with a _family_? That was the _last_ thing he wanted. He snarled and opened his mouth, but Kikyo stopped his protest with a look. He closed his mouth again. He didn't want to insult Kikyo. He went far out of his way to avoid it. If she dragged him to her family's house for dinner, then he would go. Not because he wanted to, but for her. He'd do anything for her. She was the only one he had, and he couldn't bear to make her unhappy and lose her. He couldn't handle that.

So he clammed up and just gave her little sister a shrug.

Kagome giggled again. "Geeze, no need to look _so_ obvious. You don't have to come over any time soon, even if my sister forces you."

He blinked, then frowned, but Kagome bounded away, turning back to wave at them. Kikyo smiled and returned the wave.

"Your sister is strange," He said absently.

Kikyo glanced at him. "Kagome? I wouldn't say she's strange. I would say she's friendly."

"Tch." He'd met friendly people before. They always turned out to be fakes. She'd probably prove to be the same. He'd yet to meet someone who sincerely wanted to be friends with him. Either that, or she was just stupid.

Kikyo turned down the other hall. "Shall we go?"

He didn't respond, but followed after her.

: : :

* * *

October

In the end, she had finally invited Inuyasha over to talk to Kikyo that weekend. She'd avoided it as long as she could, but now, after all the truth was out there for him to see, how could she deny him the opportunity of talking to his beloved girlfriend? He was worried sick about her, she just knew it. Besides, it was only fair to him after all the crazy she had dragged him through the last month.

She was grateful for Sango. The girl was a rock of strength, an island of solace. When Kagome had told her that Inuyasha had, shockingly, agreed to come over that Sunday, Sango had silently and kindly put an arm around her. Kagome had been so grateful for the sympathetic touch, she'd almost cried. Sango would be the only one who knew how hard that had been for Kagome. Ever, probably.

Kagome was feeling like a terrible friend in comparison to Sango. She had turned Sango's arm around the shoulder into a hug. She hadn't said anything—what could she have said? Apologies wouldn't have been enough to convey her pain for what Sango was going through. The worry was visibly beginning to show on Sango's face. Her family was in trouble. Her brother's health was in danger. And despite everything, Kagome couldn't help feeling partly responsible. Sango sent her quiet assurances through hand squeezes and texts every few hours to make sure she was still safe. Surprisingly, Miroku was usually around, and Kagome was pleasantly surprised that his company didn't bother Sango like it had used to. In fact, it seemed to give her some comfort.

Miroku was struggling, too. He was working so hard in trying to figure things out that his usual playboy attitude was slipping. He hardly hit on anyone at school the last two days they were there that week. He was keeping a strict eye out and a trained ear for anything that could remotely reek of Naraku. So far he had heard of a family's home being broken into (an old friend of Kagome's from elementary school that she was still close to) and a boy who had been beaten up by some thugs on his way home from school (Kagome's class president). Yuka had been in a bad car accident with her parents, and missed school to get a cast on her broken arm. That had almost caused Kagome and Sango to panic, but Miroku had gotten to them first to calm them down.

Kagome wanted to fix this. She wanted to fix all of this. She wished, not for the first time in her life, and undoubtedly not the last, that she was more than she was. She wished she was smarter, older, richer, stronger. But she was just Kagome. She could only do what Kagome could do.

So on Sunday, all she could do was make sure her family stuck together, that no one went to the store alone, and that everyone was prepared for Inuyasha to come over that evening.

"Mom," She told her mother a couple hours before dinner. "Can't we have something more simple? Like ramen or something?"

"Why, what's wrong? Does Inuyasha not like egg and rice omelets?"

"I mean, I'm sure he's fine with them, but he's not really coming for dinner. He's just coming to talk to Kikyo. He doesn't want all this fanfare."

"Nonsense, Kagome. This is the first time he'll ever be coming over. Why shouldn't we try to be a little hospitable? It's a shame Kikyo can't be here in person, though."

Kagome sighed, then chopped green onions like her mother ordered. She fell silent, trapped in her thoughts again, and didn't notice the look her mother gave her.

An hour later dinner was ready and the family was waiting around the table.

"Is he coming, or what?" Sota groaned, salivating over the food that steamed in front of him.

"I'm sure he's just running a few minutes late," Asako said.

"He probably got caught up by the shikigami I put out yesterday," Grandpa nodded solemnly. "They can be tricky for those with darker spirits."

"Those don't actually work, Grandpa," Sota said.

"Of course they do, don't be ridiculous. Why do you think we've never had trouble from vandals?"

"Vandals? Is that even a term that people use anymore?"

Asako glanced up as Kagome stood and headed out of the dining room. "Where are you going, dear?"

"Oh, uh, I'm just going to step outside for a second," Kagome said. She put her shoes on and slipped out the front door. The sun was setting, and the trees were casting shadows across the shrine grounds. The sacred tree loomed dark on one side of the compound, it's trunk framed in the orange of the sunset, its leaves stretching up to the stars. She wrapped her arms around herself as the wind blew. It was the first day of October, and the nights were already becoming cooler.

She looked around, squinting her eyes to see in the shadows. Ah. There. Just as she had thought.

She crossed the stone courtyard to the tree line, where Inuyasha was standing among the trees.

"So," She said, startling him. "Are you coming in?"

"Where did you come from?" He demanded, trying to look like she hadn't snuck up on him.

"The house. Where you should be." She turned back to the house, stopping herself from reaching out to take his arm. She hadn't touched him since she had kissed him, and she was afraid that if she did it might freak him out. Or worse—that he might catch on to how much she liked him. "Come on."

He looked at the house, whose windows were pink from the reflection of the setting sun, then down at her. She just waited. She knew this wasn't easy for him. It was pretty far out of his comfort zone, and she was still surprised he had even shown up. For Kikyo. Of course—he'd do anything for Kikyo.

He pushed away from the tree and followed her.

Once inside, Kagome shut the door and called, "Mom, I've brought Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha removed his shoes, but kept his red jacket on, his hands in his pockets. He looked around at the hall, like an animal that had just been let out of its cage for the first time and wasn't sure of its surroundings.

Sota came running around the corner. "Inuyasha!" He called, making Inuyasha flinch. "Hey! You're gonna sit by me at dinner, right?"

"Heh? Dinner?" He turned and narrowed his eyes at Kagome. "You didn't say anything about dinner."

Kagome gave him a sheepish smile. "Well, if I had I wouldn't have gotten you in the house, would I?" He grumbled a protest, but she just pushed him ahead of her into the dining room.

Inuyasha ended up between Sota and Grandpa, kneeling awkwardly and looking down at his plate of food as though it were the one going to eat him. Kagome sat across from him beside her mother. She ate her food absently, every once in a while intervening when her brother or grandfather seemed to be bothering Inuyasha too much:

"Taiko, that's an interesting last name. Reminds me of the ancient legends of lords and demons. Legend has it that there was a mighty demon who was at war with the Taiko clan. They fought for decades and eventually were able to seal him away in this very town. Well, what this town used to be, that is. Who are your grandparents?"

"Grandpa, he's not real close with them. And don't bring up those old fairytales, please."

"Inuyasha, have you ever played Death's Door 6? I just beat the heck out of the Commander, a few quick bullets to his brain and blam! He was totally wasted! Shippo's still back at the Lieutenant, which he says is because his Grandma Kaede doesn't let him play a lot of video games, but that's just excuses, I think. Is it true that Rin lives with you? I'll admit, she's not bad at Death's Door 6."

"Sota, no one wants to hear about your bloody deaths at the dinner table, so stuff it!"

Asako just smiled pleasantly at them all, refilling drinks and asking Inuyasha how he liked each part of the meal in turn. Kagome sighed to herself, watching Inuyasha's uncomfortable face as he picked at his food. Her family wasn't acting any differently than usual, although they might have been a little overexcited. They had been hearing about Inuyasha and talking about Inuyasha for months—to them, he was already well known and accepted around the dinner table. However, to Inuyasha, this would be very strange. She wondered when the last time was that he had shared dinner with anyone other than Kikyo. Probably back before his mother had died.

That thought made Kagome so sad that she almost didn't notice her mother saying, "So, Inuyasha, how have you been doing without Kikyo at school?"

Kagome almost spat her food out. She gave her mother a strained stare, which Asako didn't pay any attention to. Inuyasha shifted where he sat. "Uh…"

She couldn't bear to watch him be so obviously uncomfortable, and even worse, she couldn't sit here and listen to him tell Asako how much he missed Kikyo. So Kagome quickly jumped to his rescue. "Well, he's doing alright. I mean, everyone misses Kikyo, though not as much as him. But he's been making new friends!"

Inuyasha gave her a strange look, which she ignored.

"Like Sango and Miroku, another third year boy. Oh, and he's been helping me with my math! He's really good at math, did you know that?"

"Good thing," Sota said, "This monster sucks at math."

Kagome scoffed, and Inuyasha snorted, "No kidding. She's awful at it."

"Uh!" Kagome exclaimed, her cheeks turning red. "I'm not that bad!"

"Yeah, right, Kagome, did you _see_ the score on your last exam?" Inuyasha said, his awkward and shy demeanor slipping away as he smirked at her.

"Yes! And it was one of the best scores I've gotten!" She said proudly.

"That's my point. It wasn't that great. If it hadn't been for me, you wouldn't even have gotten that good." He took a large, gloating bite of food.

"You jerk, I did just fine before you! I won't even ask for your help next time!"

"Fine by me, but don't come crying when you have to do summer school."

"I will _not _have to do summer school!"

Her family, who had been watching the sudden back and forth with some interest, sighed audibly then.

"She's never been much for math and science," Grandpa said, shaking his head solemnly.

"Grandpa, my grades are fine in science!" Kagome insisted.

"Kikyo and I got all the brains," Sota said.

"Shut up, Sota, you're just as bad at math as I am!" Kagome snapped.

"Oh, Kagome," Was all Asako said, touching a hand to her cheek sadly.

"_Mom_!" Kagome said indignantly. "Quit listening to this idiot! My grades are fine!"

Inuyasha snickered then, and she turned to glare at him. He smirked back at her, but after a second she felt his gaze burning her. She hadn't looked at him in the eye this long in a couple days. She was glad her face was already pink from being mad at him so no one could see her blushing. She wasn't the only one, though—Inuyasha's smirk suddenly sank and he looked away, his cheeks looking warm. He cleared his throat, taking another bite of his food.

Sota and Grandpa looked between Inuyasha and Kagome in confusion, wondering what had just happened to shut them both up so suddenly. Asako tapped her chin, looking at her youngest daughter thoughtfully.

"This is, uh, good Mrs. Higurashi," Inuyasha said awkwardly, in an obvious attempt to turn the conversation away from Kagome.

"Oh, thank you," Asako said. "Please, call me Asako."

* * *

After dinner, they waited by the phone. The shrine still had an old landline, mounted to the wall in the hallways between the kitchen and the front door. So everyone stood around, talking about anything but how they were waiting for the phone to ring. Grandpa sat in a chair, pulling on his beard and pretending that he wasn't dozing off. Asako idly chatted to Kagome about this and that and what they needed to get done before the fall festival the next weekend. Inuyasha stood a couple feet from them, leaning against the wall and responding to Sota's silly questions. Kagome nodded at what her mother said, but really she was listening to Sota and Inuyasha. She smiled at the answers Inuyasha gave Sota. He seemed to have relaxed during the course of dinner, and apparently didn't mind Sota's avid attention.

Then the phone rang. Inuyasha stopped talking mid-sentence and Kagome felt her stomach drop. She tried to share a smile with her mother before Asako sprung to answer it.

"Hello? Ah! Kikyo, dear!" Asako exclaimed, her voice choking up a little. "How are you, sweetheart? Oh, that's wonderful. Yes. You sound good. Yes. We're all fine, here. Mmhmm, we're all here—even Inuyasha. We've decided to take turns talking to you, is that all right? Dear? Oh, I thought you cut out for a second. What's that? Of course, dear."

Asako went on, taking her turn first, asking questions and listening. Kagome leaned against the wall, looking at her feet. What was she going to say to Kikyo? She still had no idea. If her family was around, there was no way she could say anything about Onigumo or Naraku or whoever in the heck he was. But she felt like anything else would just be a shallow topic, and both she and Kikyo would know that.

She avoided looking at Inuyasha, who had gone silent again. No doubt he was wondering what to say to Kikyo, too. Kagome bit her lip to keep herself from thinking too much.

Grandpa went next, repeating questions more than once. Asako wandered into the kitchen to finish he cookies she was making for dessert, and Grandpa followed to get some green tea. Sota got the phone after him, and Kagome and Inuyasha could hear Kikyo on the other end laughing a few times at what he said. Then, instead of handing the phone over to Kagome, Sota turned to Inuyasha.

"Here you go, Inuyasha!" He said cheerily, pressing the phone into Inuyasha's hand.

Inuyasha stared down at the phone, and then looked up at Kagome. She started, immediately feeling like she needed to escape. She grabbed Sota and dragged him with her. "Come on, let's go help mom with the cookies!"

"Wait, what! Kagome!"

In the kitchen, Asako looked at them with a small smile. "Ah, is it Inuyasha's turn?"

"Yeah," Sota said, yanking his arm out of Kagome's grasp.

Kagome tried to nod normally, but she was afraid her face was broken. Asako looked at her, and then turned to Sota. "Sota, wash you hands and help me with the cookies."

"Ah, why me? Why can't Kagome do it?"

"Because, I would like your help. Go on."

With a groan Sota did as he was told. All she said to Kagome was, "Sit down, dear."

And Kagome knew that Asako knew.

Kagome waited on a stool at the counter, her hands in her lap, looking down at them. It seemed like an eternity, but in reality it was probably only about twenty minutes before Inuyasha appeared. Kagome looked up at him, ready to burst into tears if she saw him smiling. But he just looked normal—his face was unreadable.

"She wants to talk to you, Kagome," He said.

Kagome slid off her stool and followed Inuyasha back down the hall to the phone. He picked it up where he had rested it on top of the phone cradle and handed it to her. "Here."

She took it and put it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Kagome," Kikyo said.

Kagome was surprised at the happiness and relief that mixed with her anxiety at the sound of Kikyo's voice. She swallowed, her throat suddenly tight.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Inuyasha turn towards the front door. Without thinking, her hand shot out and caught the corner of his sleeve. He turned back to her, his eyebrows raised. She probably looked stupid right now—she could feel the pleading all over her face for him not to leave her alone. He paused for a second, and then turned to stand against the wall next to her. He was completely silent, that unreadable expression on his face. She let go of the breath she hadn't realized she had caught, and turned her focus back to the phone.

"How are you, Kagome?" Kikyo was asking.

"I'm doing all right. How are you?"

"I'm fine. I love the Kotsui program. Kagome, it's amazing. Everyone here is so knowledgeable and willing to teach. I'm learning so much, and we are able to help patients every day. Dr. Suikotsu is so attentive and kind, he's a wonderful teacher. They've already invited me to stay on when I finish the program."

"That's great," Kagome said, although she thought it might sound flatter than she meant it. "Are you…safe?"

Kikyo paused on the other line, and Kagome imagined her looking around the room she might be in. Then she said more quietly, "Kagome, are you alone?"

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha, fully aware that he might be able to hear some of what Kikyo was saying. "Yes, I'm alone. Everyone else is in the kitchen."

"Good. I have received some…letters. Nothing has happened beyond that, though, so I think I am still unreachable up here for someone like Onigumo. But I must admit, I believe I underestimated him. He is more…determined than I thought. I'm afraid it might make him dangerous. Has anything happened there, Kagome?"

Kagome paused. Too long.

"What is it?" Kikyo said, her voice more urgent. "What's happened?"

"No! No, no, no, nothing, it's all fine!" Kagome said, trying to sound convincing. "You just caught me off guard is all."

Kikyo sighed on the other end, relieved, and Kagome felt a little sick for lying. She hoped it wasn't the wrong thing to do. But what good would it do to give Kikyo grief while she was so far away and there would be nothing she could do? No, she would keep it quiet for now, until things got worse or Miroku said they needed something from Kikyo.

"Good," Kikyo said. "Tell me immediately if anything does. I don't want you to get mixed up in all this any more than you already are, alright?"

"Alright."

"Keep an eye on the mail, just in case. I wouldn't want mom to see anything she shouldn't."

"I will."

"You…haven't told Inuyasha anything, right?"

Again, Kagome paused. Without moving her head, she looked over at Inuyasha. The hall was so quiet, there was no way he couldn't hear what Kikyo was saying. She swallowed, hoping this conversation wouldn't make her regret keeping him there.

"No. He doesn't know anything."

"Good. He's so stubborn, he might do something rash." It sounded like there was a smile in her voice, which made Kagome's heart hurt, but when she spoke again it was gone. "Kagome…I…I just broke up with him."

Every muscle in Kagome's body froze. "What did you say?"

"I broke up with him. I had to."

Kagome didn't say anything. She just slowly turned to look at Inuyasha. He stubbornly and blankly kept his eyes on the floor. He had stayed with her because she had silently asked him to, and here she was, forcing him to listen to a conversation for the second time that had no doubt ripped his heart out.

If she had felt sick earlier, then she felt wretched now. Her insides turned with regret and sorrow for the boy next to her.

Kikyo was still talking, her voice heavy but straightforward. "Onigumo is very possessive, and I don't want Inuyasha becoming a target because I'm with him, or he'll try to use him against me. That's why I had to leave all of you behind—to cut ties and keep you all safe. Since it seems to be worse than I thought, I realized it would be better to let Inuyasha go."

"But, Kikyo…this is just for now, right? Not forever?"

"Right now I have to focus on dealing with Onigumo, or he could really begin to damage my life. I won't let him do that. He's a disgusting monster, and I won't let him think he can get the better of me."

And then a prick of anger entered Kagome's heart. "This isn't just affecting you, you know. This is affecting all of us."

"I know," Kikyo's voice softened. "I miss you. I miss all of you. Don't worry. I don't know if I'll be home for winter break—Dr. Suikotsu may keep me on, and we're making some real progress here that I want to be a part of. But I want to be with all of you again as soon as I can. It's hard being without my family."

Her family? They'd always be there for her, of course—but what about Inuyasha? What about his family? Kikyo was the only family he thought he had.

"What about Inuyasha?" Kagome demanded, not noticing the twitch of Inuyasha's head at her angry mention of his name.

Kikyo sighed again. "He'll be sad, but he'll be alright. He's stronger than you think."

No kidding. If Kikyo could see him now, actually standing in the Higurashi's house, listening with a straight face, she'd probably be shocked. Oh gosh. What could he be feeling right now? Kagome's worry was already eating at her. Would this break him? He was strong, sure, but she couldn't help imagining the boy she had seen walking around school a year ago—fierce, angry, bitter. Alone. She was afraid that he would slip back into that all too easily.

She clenched the phone but bit her tongue. She stared at the buttons on the phone's box on the wall as Kikyo again told her how much she missed her. She gave in, saying tensely, "I miss you, too. I wish you were here." And despite her annoyance at how her older sister was handling things, she did mean it. She wanted her sister back. She wanted everything to be normal again.

"Will you get everyone so I can say goodbye?" Kikyo asked.

"Yes. Hold on." Kagome set the phone on top of its cradle. She paused, wanting to turn to Inuyasha and see what his face looked like, but she didn't. She thought he might not like that. He liked to seem tough, even when he wasn't.

She hurried to the kitchen and told everyone Kikyo needed to go. They quickly returned to the hallway and Asako held the phone while everyone said goodbye. Kagome watched her small family, but every couple seconds she looked down the hallway toward the front door, which Inuyasha had slipped out of when she had run to the kitchen.


	11. Girl from the Fire

A/N: Here's a thing. Review, friends.

* * *

Girl from the Fire

April

She'd never seen him look like that before.

She'd seen him moody, broody, angry, annoyed, irritated, sarcastic, bruised, awkward, proud, triumphant, and, once, sleeping peacefully. She had never seen him like this. Never seen the expression of a boy on the face of a near man. Never seen pain so mixed with defiance.

What had happened to cause him to make such a face? She could only imagine, and even then she was probably far off base. After the death of her father she had been upset for months. It still upset her now and then. But she could already tell that her mourning was different than this—she had mourned with love and grief. His was a pain of damage and resignation. There was no love in it at all.

She wondered if it was this face that had caused her sister to look at him as more than just a delinquent. The more she had come head to head with Inuyasha the last couple weeks, the more she had questioned Kikyo's decision to date him. He was stubborn and rude and cantankerous. He had to be good deep down, she thought, otherwise Kikyo wouldn't really be dating him, right? No way that the perfect Kikyo could be dating someone who was an all around jerk. But this—this was a boy with a wounded soul. It was so evident that she could feel it seeping through her skin and bones and pricking her heart.

No one should ever have to look like that. She suddenly had the nearly irrepressible urge to reach out and hug him. Maybe that was why Kikyo was dating him. She, like Kagome, had seen the boy and wanted nothing more than to keep him from making that face ever again.

_How silly_, she could hear herself thinking, _How many times has Kikyo chastised her classmates for dating "fixer uppers"? She wouldn't do something like that._ So there must have been more. More to Inuyasha than anyone knew. More than even Kagome had thought, and she generally considered herself quite accepting of everyone. But she wanted to know. Now more than ever. Who was this boy? What did he think and feel? What made him look this sad, and what could make him happy?

Thoughts and feelings swam around her head as she continued to stare at him. She had stopped dead in her tracks after rounding the corner and seeing him standing by the side of the school. Her greeting had died in her throat when she had seen his face.

Finally, he noticed there was someone nearby. He whipped his head around, his sad expression being swallowed up so quickly by a malevolent one that she was taken off guard. His eyes looked so hard and cold. She swallowed, remembering that abused dogs were often the most feral. But when he recognized her he paused. Then he pushed off the wall he was leaning against and walked away. Her gaze followed after him, watching the slant of his shoulders and the straightness of his back. She regretted having just stood there. She wished she could have been someone he trusted, someone who he wouldn't mind seeing him vulnerable like that, someone who could help him.

: : :

* * *

October

He wasn't sure if his body was still there. Was it? Wasn't it? He couldn't feel his limbs. He couldn't feel his heart beating in his chest. Better question: did it matter?

His eyes were still working. He could tell because he was looking up at the night sky, the dim stars twinkling down on him. Or was this heaven? Hell, more likely. Maybe that's why he wasn't sure if he had a body anymore. Maybe that was why he felt like his heart had just been ripped out, leaving a numb hole in him.

_Dogs don't make good company._

Dang it. That stupid phrase kept echoing through his head, the sound of Naraku's voice mocking him. He hated that man. He hated every single thing about him, from his shiny hair down to his pretentious, shiny shoes. But despite his hatred, he couldn't really be angry at Naraku for saying what he had. He had been right, after all.

There were other things going on, he knew that. People were in danger. Crap was going down. But he was a single-minded idiot, and right now all he could think about was how all of this had hurt _him_. It had made Kikyo paranoid for weeks, causing him to worry and causing them to fight. It had taken her away and left him alone. Now it had driven her to ditch him. Was it just for now? Would she really want to be with him again when—if—she came back? He had thought so before. Before a month ago, if anyone had asked him if he thought they would be together forever, he would have said with absolute certainty, "Obviously". Of course they would be. They had made half a dozen promises to each other about their future together. He had had no doubt in his mind, and neither had Kikyo.

Things had changed since then, so quickly that it had left his head spinning and his stomach queasy. And his heart broken.

This might just be for now, he had to remind himself. They would catch Naraku. They would make things normal and safe. Then Kikyo would come home. Then he wouldn't be left again. Right?

But what if she didn't? What if she decided she liked Sapporo better than home? What if she never came back?

Dang it. What would he do? What _could_ he do?

Not a lot. Be alone. Get in fights. Be angry at teachers and his classmates and the world. Drop out. Let the family business fall apart. Finally ditch Sessomaru's house. End up on the streets. Wander through life until he eventually, finally, died. It was hard to think of a future any different than that when there was nothing really for him to live for.

"Inuyasha!"

Oh, yeah. There was Kagome. She was his friend, wasn't she? And she was just stubborn enough that she might not leave him alone, even if Kikyo never came back. Geeze, that girl. It made him tired trying to keep up with Kagome, but he had to admit, he kind of liked it. He liked her energy. It attracted him just like it did everyone else.

Like Miroku and Sango. He didn't mind them, either. In fact, he quite liked Sango. She was honest and straightforward and tough. And she didn't hate him. Miroku still annoyed him sometimes, and he wasn't sure yet when Miroku was being himself and when he was putting up a front, but he supposed he didn't mind his company. And Miroku, for whatever reason, had never seemed to hate Inuyasha. He'd always been annoyingly _around_ all the time. Now, since all of this business, he was around even more. He sat next to Inuyasha in class, he walked with him down the hall, and when Miroku wasn't being a playboy airhead, Inuyasha liked his company and respected his opinions. He guessed that maybe Miroku and Sango might stick around if Kagome stuck around. Then he'd have them, too.

"Inuyasha!"

Was he friends with Miroku and Sango now? They hadn't ever said anything about it. But they sure spent a lot of time with him. Was it a conversation that needed to happen? He didn't know. He still hadn't really figured out this friend thing yet. Maybe he'd ask Kagome. She'd know.

"_InuyashaTaiko_!"

He looked down.

He was sitting in a tree. He didn't know why, he'd just had the random urge to climb it as he was passing by. Maybe to feel like he was getting away from the world. Maybe to feel like he was closer to the sky and stars and not so close to his problems. Maybe just to avoid going home and wallowing in his room about Kikyo. But when he glanced down he saw Kagome looking back up at him, worry all over her face.

There was a hard _thud_ in his chest as his heart started beating again. Oh, good. He was still alive. "Kagome. You…You idiot!"

She looked confused as he sat up and jumped down, landing on the sidewalk in front of her. She must have just slipped on her shoes and run after him; she wasn't even in a sweater or anything. He would have just brushed that off as her usual stupidity, but wandering around the streets at night when there was a psychopath who had already kidnapped and threatened her once was so beyond stupid it was shocking.

"What the heck are you doing?" He snapped, "You shouldn't be out here! Miroku and Sango would have your head if they knew how dumb you're being right now!"

Her surprise quickly turned to confusion. "What? What are you yelling at me for?"

"Because, you idiot, do you think you only have to worry about Naraku when it's _convenient_? What were you thinking, walking around at night in a time like this?"

She scoffed. "Uh! What! Who do you think you are, yelling at me right now? You're out here, aren't you?"

"I'm not the dumb little girl with stalker issues!"

Her confusion quickly became a scowl. "I only came out here because I was worried about you, you stupid jerk, but you're obviously not worth worrying about! Moron! Forget it, I'll just go home, then! Deal with your problems yourself!" She spun on her heel, stomping back down the street.

He followed after her. "There you go again, walking off by yourself in the middle of the night!"

"It's hardly the middle of the night! Don't follow me, then, if it's so annoying for you!"

He huffed, watching her back as she walked ahead of him. As they walked, he felt his irritation fading. She should know better than to make him worry while he was already upset—that would just make him angry. The idiot. Good thing he had only been a few blocks from her house and she had found him rather fast. He would have hated it if she had had to wander very far to find him.

Oh. She'd come out to find him.

He cocked his head as he watched her hair swing across her shoulders. He realized he didn't look at her back often. She always walked beside him instead of ahead of him. He'd gotten used to it, so he hadn't noticed that that was different for him. Before, he'd either walked with no one, or he'd been content to follow Kikyo.

Kagome had come barreling out of the house after him, without even a sweater against the cool night, because she was worried about him. Why was she always chasing after him? Since he'd met her she had sought him out to say hello, to be a friend, just to annoy him…Recently, she'd started running after him _literally_. She'd chased him down in a rainstorm after Kikyo had left because she knew he'd be feeling lonely. She'd run to his house, of all the ridiculous places, when she had been afraid of Naraku. She had followed him now, knowing that he must be feeling hurt and worrying about him. If she hadn't found him, he might have spent all night in that tree.

Why was it always _her_ running after _him_?

She cared about him. Geez, she must. He didn't know why, but he also found he didn't care why. She cared about him, and that was good enough. Otherwise, why would she bother putting up with him? Why would she risk herself for him?

How could he let her do that? She could have gotten a cold in that rainstorm. She could have been confronted by Sessomaru at his house. She could have been taken right off the street tonight. His gut twisted at the thought. Stupid idiot, Kagome. He couldn't let her do that anymore. He'd make sure that she never had to chase him down again.

When the shrine stairs were in sight, Kagome stopped and looked over her shoulder at him. He stopped too, wondering what she could be thinking as she looked at him so seriously.

She said, "She loves you, you know."

"Huh?"

"Kikyo." His chest panged again at her name. "She loves you, I'm sure of it. She's just trying to protect you. You know that, right?"

His eyes dropped to the ground. That's right, Kikyo had cared about him. Yet she had been gone a month, and she'd seemed more anxious than happy talking to him on the phone that night. Or maybe that was just him reading into it. Maybe that was how he had been feeling. Dang it, he didn't remember. Either way, his heart still hurt.

Ugh.

"Inuyasha," The softness of her voice made him look back at her. She had stepped closer, her warm, brown eyes looking up at him, her face pulled together with sympathy. "It's ok. I know that sucks to hear when it doesn't seem like it, but…she'll come back. We'll figure it all out. It'll be ok." Her hand lifted toward him, as though she were going to hug him, but then she drew it back. He watched the action and felt a sweeping sense of longing.

He needed that hug. He needed to be touched. A hundred times had he been hurt in some way or another and Kagome had happened along, healing him with a smile and a simple touch. When had he come to rely on her so much? He had no idea. Right now he didn't care. Right now, his chest was aching with feelings for Kikyo and the memories of his life before her, of being alone and hated and misunderstood. Right now, all he wanted was to hide inside Kagome's kindness and worry.

He took his hand from his pocket and reached for hers. His fingers barely brushed the back of her hand before they trailed up, wrapping around her wrist lightly. Her skin was cold in the night air, which was more obvious since his hands were so warm from his jacket. Then he moved closer and dropped his head, resting his forehead on her shoulder.

She was incredibly still, her breathing the only movement she made. He could feel her breath on the skin of his neck that was exposed just above his collar. He could smell her, too. Funny. Kikyo never smelt like anything. It was like she was a ghost or an angel, barely attached to the mortal realm. Kagome smelt like strawberry shampoo and the Higurashi house and life. He liked it, and took deep breaths. It felt good filling up his lungs.

He would have stood like that all night if he could have. He could feel her touch and her body heat and her patience easing the pain in his chest. Amazing. How could she do that by doing so little? Was she magic?

When she lifted her free hand and touched his arm, it brought him back to reality. It was too close to a hug, too close to his beating heart not to make it stutter.

He straightened, pulling back to find his face only inches from hers. She still looked up at him with the same sympathetic face. Not pity, but sympathy. The kind that only came when you cared for someone else. The kind that he hadn't had from anyone since his mother. From Kikyo he had received empathy—empathy from someone else who had been hurting the same as him. This sympathy from Kagome was from someone vastly different than him, and yet someone who liked him just fine the way he was.

And suddenly he remembered what it had felt like when she had held his face in her hands and pressed her lips against his. Swift and soft and surprising. He found his eyes falling to those lips, and he swallowed when they opened and said in a quiet voice, "Inuyasha?"

Then he turned away.

He let her wrist slip out of his fingers and took a step back, looking away and clearing his throat. His cheeks were warm with mortification. He'd almost kissed her. Idiot. She probably would have slapped him. Did he not just get dumped an hour ago? And by her sister? She had come to comfort him, but Kagome, for all the kindness and caring that she had, wouldn't have stood for something so stupid.

Then again. Hadn't she kissed him once?

Dang it, he was confused. He wasn't used to dealing with so many emotions—heartbreak, friendship, worry, fear, gratitude, contentment…

Whatever. Stop thinking. This wasn't the time to go over what a moron he was.

"You're cold," He said. "You should go inside." He looked at her again to see she was hesitating, but she was beginning to shiver. He said more firmly. "I'll be fine, Kagome. Go home."

"Alright." She turned and slowly headed to the shrine steps, looking back at him before ascending. He watched her go all the way to the top, where she looked back at him again. Then he waited until he was sure enough time had passed for her to return safely back inside.

* * *

Being "Kagome" at school again would have been liberating if she weren't so far behind in all her classes. She'd been back as Kagome for almost an entire week, and already all of her teachers had pulled her aside and told her she would need to work hard to catch up to the rest of her peers. It was, basically, the worst.

Luckily, she had enough friends and enough peers who offered to help her out that she felt like she might make it. Hojo had even brought her all his notes, with a little blush and a shy glance. She noticed it, but ignored it. She didn't have the mental capacity to deal with Hojo currently. She barely had the mental capacity to deal with anything lately. She'd found herself, more than once, staring out the window and watching the archery club practice with a longing look in her eyes.

Naraku hadn't bugged her all week, at least. Sango and her father were scrambling to sell the dojo, but they hadn't heard anything. Miroku was busy and secretive, as always, but seemed to be ok. Inuyasha had yet to have any sort of run in with Naraku, which was relieving. Everything was eerily quiet, in fact. It made Kagome nervous.

So when Eri and Asami hurried over to her first thing on Thursday morning, Kagome's stomach immediately sank. Their news was both surprising and expected.

"Yuka got in a car wreck this morning," Eri quickly said, her voice hurried.

"What? How do you know?"

"Takashi's dad is a first responder," Asami explained, looking worried. "He told Takashi it was a student from his school, and Takashi found out who it was and then told our homeroom teacher."

"Is she ok? What happened?"

"We don't know," Eri said, sharing a look with Asami, "No one's heard anything yet, except that it was a hit and run and that she and both her parents are in the hospital now."

"We want to go there right after school," Asami said, "I told the glee club I wouldn't be there today, and Eri's skipping play practice."

Kagome nodded. "Have you told Sango?"

They shook their heads. "We haven't seen her yet this morning."

Hojo ran over then, saying that he had just heard what had happened, and wondering if there were any home remedies or anything he could offer Yuka. They told him that was sweet, but they didn't really know what had happened yet.

Kagome found Sango quickly after that. Sango was grimly unsurprised as well.

"Are we going after school?" Kagome asked.

"Why wait?" Sango replied.

So after the bell rang, they hurried away, taking the quickest route to the hospital, making sure they weren't followed by anyone suspicious, and ignoring the angry texts from Inuyasha.

"You're not going to answer those?" Sango asked after Kagome's phone buzzed again. They were close to the hospital now, only a couple blocks away.

Kagome sighed. "He's fine, he's just being paranoid."

Sango gave a small smile and shake of her head. "He's such a worry wart. You know, he's surprisingly caring for a big rude idiot."

Kagome chuckled. "Yeah, he is."

"You know, I…don't mind him so much, Kagome."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, I never hated the guy, but, I dunno, recently he's been kind of…nice to me. He's fun to have around." She elbowed Kagome lightly. "I kind of get what you see in him now."

Kagome smiled and said nothing. Not how she had kissed him, not how Kikyo had broken his heart, not how things were a bit weird between them now. They didn't seem that way on the surface—now that she was back to being Kagome at school again, he openly teased her and fought with her, but he was also openly just _around_. It didn't seem to bother him that there were some whispers about Kikyo's sudden disappearance and the quick shift of Inuyasha's attentions toward Kagome, the younger sister. And on top of all that, he wasn't as standoffish as he had always been—he sat closer, he didn't move away when his shoulder brushed hers in the hallway, and he had even reached out to brush something off her shoulder the other day. It didn't escape Kagome's notice; coming from anyone else all of those things might have been normal, but this was Inuyasha. Never in the six months that she had known him had he been careless with physical contact. And it only seemed to be with her.

Rebounding. If he hadn't been before, then she was sure that after this weekend's conversation with Kikyo he most certainly was now. She didn't need to be told that. It would just hurt more.

So she said nothing to Sango.

The secretary at the hospital looked up Yuka and her family on the computer. Kagome and Sango were relieved to hear that Yuka was no longer in the ER, and that her family had been moved to the third floor. They made their way up, falling quiet as they prepared themselves.

There were cops in the hallway outside of Yuka's room. Two of them, talking to an older woman who must have been a witness. Kagome and Sango weren't allowed inside Yuka's room, so they looked through the window at the doctor hovering over their friend, who was connected to half a dozen wires and machines. They listened to the witness tell the cop her story, probably for the second time:

"It was right on the corner of 22nd, I was crossing to go to the store a block away, I always go there, they have the freshest produce, and I had to pause when their car stopped at the sign. But just as they were pulling out, this long black car came racing around the corner—I always said there should be a light there, teenagers always take that corner too fast—and it didn't seem to have seen them. It ran straight into the side of them! I was so shocked I fell right over! I thought they were all terribly hurt, they must have been, so I pulled out my phone, but just as I called the police the black car pulled away and drove off, the hood still crushed and smoking! I was so angry, I tell you! Such reckless driving, and they couldn't even be man enough to stay and face the consequences!"

Kagome and Sango looked at each other. Then the doctor came out, so they turned to him and asked how Yuka was doing. He said she had a concussion and a couple broken ribs, but she would be all right. Might even be conscious later that day. Her mother was about the same and was in a nearby room, but the father only had a broken arm and was awake, demanding he be moved to his wife's room. They must have looked incredibly relieved, because the doctor patted their shoulders and told them they were good friends.

"Looks like it wasn't as bad as we feared," Sango said as they walked back down the hall. "If it was Naraku's guy—which I'm sure it was—then he could have killed them. But he let them live."

"It's still just a power play," Kagome said, careful not to talk too loud when nurses passed by them. She ran a hand through her hair, thinking about the smiling, athletic girl. "He'll probably work up to worse and worse attacks. Yuka's just a pawn who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Dang it! I hate that this is affecting so many other people!"

Sango clenched a fist. "I wish Naraku would quit hiding behind all his stupid threats and flunkies and just face us head on. I'd love to give him a piece of my mind."

Kagome nodded determinedly in agreement.

Sango quieted as they passed through another corridor. Her eyes traveled along the windows and doorways as they passed. This was the children's wing. Sango would be thinking about Kohaku right now. She didn't talk about it often, but Kagome knew she was always worried about her brother's health, and right now, with their debts to Naraku looming over them, more than ever.

Through the windows they could see small children lying down or sitting up, some with hair, some without, all of them looking too small and worn down for a child. Kagome had been there before with Sota to visit Kohaku about a year ago when he'd had a bad spell. She could feel her heart going out to every tiny, fragile patient there. It was no wonder Kikyo wanted to be a doctor—Kagome might have herself if her math skills could have supported it.

Kagome paused when they passed by a particular, occupied room. She recognized the girl sitting on the edge of the bed, swinging her feet absently, wearing the same elementary school uniform as her younger brother.

"Rin!" Kagome said, and before thinking too much she headed to the door and swung it open.

She jumped when she found herself looking at a tall man in a dark gray suit and a maroon tie. He was beautiful, with long silver hair, sharp features, and intense eyes, but he looked ice cold, as though he were frozen all the through to his heart. Kagome swallowed, staring up at him, but blinked when she recognized the color in his eyes. She would know those eyes anywhere.

"Kagome!" Rin piped up. Kagome looked past Sessomaru Taiko's shoulder at the young girl, who waved at her. "And Sango, too! What are you guys doing here?"

Sessomaru glanced back at Rin, then stepped aside to allow Kagome and Sango to enter the room.

"Rin!" Sango said with a smile, walking towards the bed. "It's been a while! Kohaku has told me that you have been doing well in school so far."

"Mmhmm!" Rin said. "I love it! And Kohaku always helps me with things I don't understand. We have to help each other, I guess—we both missed a lot of school, and we're kind of behind." Rin grinned, completely unconcerned.

"What are you doing here?" Kagome asked. "You're not sick again, are you?"

"Nope. It's just a check up. They're going to test my lungs and make sure they're working properly. I still can't keep up as well in gym class as everyone else, so Mr. Sessomaru worries."

Kagome peeked over her shoulder carefully. Sessomaru didn't look worried. He was staring blankly out the window at passing doctors. She couldn't believe this was Inuyasha's older brother—they looked so different, yet she could still sense a distinct vibe of family from the both of them. They shared the same eyes, although Kagome thought that Inuyasha's eyes weren't as piercing as Sessomaru's were. At least not anymore.

Sessomaru's gaze flicked toward her and she quickly turned back around.

"That's good," Sango said, "I'm glad you've been doing so well." She turned to Kagome. "When I first met Rin, she couldn't speak at all."

Kagome raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"That's true," Rin said. "My lungs were pretty badly damaged from the fire, and my throat was even worse off. That's what everyone said, anyway. But Mr. Sessomaru made sure I got fixed right up!"

"Oh, he did, did he?" Sango said. She and Kagome both peeked at Sessomaru this time. Again, he wasn't looking at them. If he was even listening at all. Suddenly he reached for the door and stepped out, letting it swing shut behind him. They watched through the window as he stepped to the side and met with a beautiful woman in a dark burgundy skirt and blazer.

Kagome and Sango stiffened and shared a look. Kagura said something to Sessomaru, who responded curtly. Then she looked through the window. When she saw them her eyes narrowed. What was she doing here? Talking to Sessomaru? Was Sessomaru working for Naraku, too?

"Oh, Ms. Kagura's here!" Rin said cheerfully. She waved energetically, catching Kagura's eye after a minute. To Kagome's surprise, Kagura smiled slightly and gave a little nod to Rin. Then she looked away from all of them and continued speaking with Sessomaru.

"Rin, you know that woman?" Sango asked quietly, which wasn't necessary but felt appropriate to Kagome.

"Sure," Rin said. "She's Mr. Sessomaru's friend. She visits us at our house sometimes."

"She does?" Kagome asked in surprise. "Why?"

Rin shrugged. "She talks to Mr. Sessomaru. Sometimes she brings us dinner. She's nice, I like her and I think she likes Mr. Sessomaru, too."

"Has…does Inuyasha know her?"

"Yeah. But he's not around much, and he doesn't like talking to Mr. Sessomaru."

What? Inuyasha had seen Kagura in his own home and hadn't said anything? Why not?

"Do they work together, Rin?" Sango asked apprehensively. She spoke more quickly, seeing that whatever conversation was going on between Sessomaru and Kagura was nearly over.

"Uh, I guess so, but they're not supposed to."

"Really? Why not?"

"Well, Mr. Sessomaru and Mr. Naraku don't get along and Ms. Kagura works for Mr. Naraku. So it's a secret, ok? Don't tell anyone." Rin looked between them both until they smiled and nodded. Then she smiled again. "Ok!" Her feet began to swing again.

"Do you know anything about Naraku, Rin?" Kagome couldn't help but ask. She tried to keep it light, not wanting to worry the girl by sounding too serious.

"Sure," Rin said, "He's why my family's dead."

Kagome and Sango went cold.

The door opened and Sessomaru walked back in, holding the door for an elderly doctor. The doctor cooed at Rin and shuffled over to her, and Sessomaru continued to hold the door, making it clear that it was time for Kagome and Sango to leave. They bowed politely to him as they passed, and he only looked back at them. He let the door swing shut as they left.


	12. Flying

A/N: Review and fav! Thanks for the support!

* * *

Flying

June

"Is he coming up here?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe he will."

"If he doesn't, I wouldn't be surprised. He's too cool for stuff like this."

"Don't be silly, Sota. I'm sure he's happy to be here at his girlfriend's archery meet."

"Blegh. If I were him, I'd want to be doing something better than staying here and being bored to death. Can't I go fid Shippo? I know he's somewhere with his grandma."

"No—Kaede is busy with the team and doesn't need to be looking after you as well. Sit with us and watch your sister."

Sota sighed.

Behind a pair of sunglasses, Kagome sipped her soda absently, getting down to the ice and dregs at the bottom. She listened to her mother and brother's conversation, her eyes on the archers lined up on the field in front of them. Kikyo wasn't up yet; the first years were currently doing their best to out shoot the other two schools. Archery had always seemed interesting to Kagome, but she had never tried it. She silently and stubbornly refused to try Kikyo's "thing".

The archers finished their round and then paused, coaches coming out, refs heading to the targets to measure. Kagome glanced down the length of the bleachers to the far corner, where a boy in a white t-shirt and long black hair was standing, watching the match by himself. Ridiculous. He'd been dating Kikyo for months and still had never met the Higurashi family. What was he so scared of, she wondered.

She took another sip of soda only to find it was completely gone. Shaking her cup she sighed and stood up. "Mom, I'm getting a refill."

"Alright, Kagome."

She picked her way across the bench and then down the bleachers, apologizing to anyone she bumped into on the way. Archery meets weren't exactly exciting, so they didn't turn out a huge crowd. Mostly family members from the different schools and some supportive friends. Kikyo generally drew at least a few students from the school who would come because they idolized her talent and beauty, but they varied and Kagome didn't care too much to talk to them. But at least the crowds were smaller so she didn't have to wait in line for a drink, unlike the times she went to Sango and Yuka's softball games. It wasn't full summer yet, but it was warm enough that standing around under the sun began to feel like a chore.

Her cup full again, she walked to the other side of the bleachers, where Inuyasha noticed her with a glance. He was leaning over he railing, watching as the third years lined up. Kikyo was in the middle—she was one of the best, and so got one of the best positions.

Kagome leaned on the railing next to him, but he didn't greet her. She glanced through her sunglasses at him, at his firmly set jaw and dark eyebrows, his face serious as he watched the archers preparing to take their first shot. They watched the arrows fly across the field, and were close enough to hear the distant _thwack_ as they hit their targets. Kagome watched Kikyo, and sometimes watched Inuyasha watching Kikyo, but he still didn't acknowledge her. She began to sip her soda. Loudly.

Inuyasha only lasted about thirty seconds. "Do you _mind_?" He snapped.

"Oh, hey, Inuyasha," Kagome said with a smile, "I didn't see you there."

"Grr. Obnoxious woman…don't you have something better to do than bother me, Jr.?"

"Well, yeah, watch Kikyo's meet. That's what I'm doing." She turned back to the field and slurped on her drink again.

"Mind doing that somewhere else?" He said with a twitch of the eye.

"Mmm, I could go sit with my family again, but then I'd be leaving you all alone, and then you would be sad."

"Yeah right."

She ignored him, and watched Kikyo take a break from the first set. Kaede stood next to her, saying something while Kikyo nodded. "Do you have something like that?"

"Something like what?" He asked.

"Like archery. Do you have something that you do like that?"

"Fight."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "I'm serious."

"So am I."

"I mean like a real hobby or interest. I don't have anything like that."

"So? Why does it matter?"

She propped her chin in her hand, leaning over the turf beneath her. "My mom says archery is good for Kikyo. It gives her an outlet. She picked it up after my father died, did you know that? I think it gave her something to do so she didn't have to think about home and school all the time. I don't have anything like that." She cocked her head as Kikyo and her competitors lifted their bows again, standing strong as they drew back their arrows. "But I don't even know what I would do. I'm not good at very many things."

He looked at her for a second before turning to watch Kikyo's arrow strike her target. She was glad he didn't tell her to go away. He had stopped really saying that, or at least really meaning it, a while ago. She wondered when.

He said offhandedly. "You could join the Annoying club."

"Shut up, jerk."

He smirked. "Or I hear there's an opening on the Nag and Debate team."

"Maybe I'll go into fighting, like you. Know any gangs that could use a small, wiry girl?"

"Oh, yeah, dozens," His voice dripped with sarcasm. "They're hard to come by these days."

"Perfect. I'll start practicing." She jabbed at the air, the ice sloshing around in her cup.

He snorted. "Please, you wouldn't last two seconds. You'd end up half dead or worse and make it a huge pain in the butt for me to find your so-called gang and drag your sorry butt out of there. Just do me a favor and join the Annoying club instead."

She blinked. Then she slid her sunglasses onto her head and looked straight at him, not able to help the smile starting on her face. "You'd come to my rescue?"

He glanced at her cheeky grin and immediately looked away. "Don't be stupid. Who else would keep you from dying? It's not like I'd be doing you any favors of my own free will."

"Right, of course." She kept smiling at him, although now he was making it a point not to look at her. He was such a funny guy. She found herself enjoying his company more and more. He was fun to fight with sometimes, but he was even more fun to get along with. With a glance at Kikyo, who was leaving the field before the second round, she pushed off the railing. "Come on, then. Let's go sit with my family. It would make Sota's day."

"What?" Inuyasha said blankly, turning to her.

"My family. You've been dating Kikyo for like five months. It's about time you meet them."

"No."

"They don't bite."

"No."

"I'm sure it would make Kikyo happy."

"Kikyo doesn't bother me about it."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Quit being a coward."

"I am _not_ being a coward."

"Well, I'm not leaving you here by yourself. That's lame, friends don't do that."

"We're not friends."

She frowned. She might enjoy his company sometimes, but he was still a big jerk, and although she didn't like the fighting as much, he obviously loved it. It's like it was his goal to get under her skin every time he saw her, and he never felt bad about it. She had been hounding him to apologize, which he simply said he never did. Well. She wouldn't let him win this time. "Of course we are." She grabbed him by a piece of the hair and pulled him behind her.

"Ow! You stupid girl! Is this how friends act?"

She ignored him. They got a few looks as they headed up the stairs, but she just smiled back at them as Inuyasha angrily called after her.

: : :

* * *

October

She was mad at him.

Fine, she could be mad at him. He was mad at her, too.

_Again_ she had gone off on her own, walking the streets like there _wasn't_ a murdering psycho on the loose, even when he'd _expressly_ told her not to without him.

Well, all right, she hadn't been alone. Sango had been with her, and Sango wasn't any sort of pushover. But, still. The two girls could have been overtaken easily if Naraku had felt like it, and they knew he might have been near the hospital since that was where the girls had seen Kagura earlier that day.

It was Kagura's fault she was mad at him. Well, it might have been his fault for not telling Kagome about the woman's odd relationship with his half brother and his new charge, but whatever. He had his reasons for keeping it quiet. He hadn't been entirely silent—he'd told Miroku about it. He'd chosen not to mention it to Kagome because Kagome was often over zealous and might have done something stupid if she had thought that Rin might be in trouble, which just would have alerted Sessomaru to them, and might have put him on the defensive. As much as Inuyasha loved to make Sessomaru feel defensive, he figured now wasn't the time for that. Not when he was trying to quietly pry into Sessomaru's business without him knowing. Not when he was doing his best to secretly get things done at his father's business without his elder brother butting in.

He and Miroku were handling things, and both had agreed to keep it quiet from Kagome and Sango. The girls had enough to worry about already. Sango was obviously struggling with the fact that they had to sell their dojo, and she had already told the softball coach she'd have to quit after the next game because she would need to find a part time job. Kagome was safe for now, and Inuyasha was glad that she hadn't received any more threats or been dragged into any more cars. He might snap if something happened to her again. He was doing his best to handle this whole situation in a way contrary to any fight he'd ever been in, and he didn't want to let it all go to waste because he punched Naraku, or even his brother, in the face.

He wasn't used to handling things this way, and every time Miroku told him to be patient, he wanted to break something. But this was the way it had to be done. At least for now.

He glanced down at Kagome. She walked beside him, her shoulders tense, her chin held high. He could almost feel the breeze of frigid air coming off the cold shoulder she was giving him. He let a hot exhale escape his nose as he shook his head. She was being stubborn, but he found he wasn't as mad as he had been earlier. Had she needlessly made him nauseous at the thought of her being snatched off the streets and showing up in a ditch later? Yes, she had. And he'd made sure that she heard an earful when she got back to school, but, really, he was just glad she had come back in one piece.

She'd been up in arms already, though. They'd made a scene in the hallway, which had only been worsened when Koga that _idiot_ had butted in and told him to quit barking at a lady. It had pissed him off further when Koga had tried to lead Kagome away, and Koga would have a black eye for a week as a result. Koga had always been quick, though, and gave Inuyasha good jab to the face in return. Kagome had smacked Inuyasha then, and hadn't even looked back when a teacher wandered out to order him and Koga to the principle's.

At least she had waited for him after school. He'd slammed out of the detention room to find her leaning against the wall. His heart had skipped a beat to see her there. He hadn't realized it, but that would have been the first time they hadn't walked home together in nearly six weeks. He would have had to go home alone. Yet here she was, waiting for him. He greeted her with a kinder tone, which she responded to coolly, but she had walked beside him anyway. She always seemed to forgive him.

At least for now. If he kept making her mad, she might eventually get tired of it. Then she wouldn't want to walk next to him anymore. He was so used to walking with her now. If she left, he would hate it. His chest felt uncomfortable and tight just at the thought, and he looked at Kagome and felt that she was too far away. He almost reached out to brush her wrist with his fingers, but then didn't.

"Hey," He said instead, "You still mad?" She didn't respond. "You hardly have any room to be. It's not like I was keeping it from you for fun or something. Either way, I'm s—"

"_No room to be_?" She snapped, finally turning her blazing brown eyes on him. He swallowed under their heat. "Of course I do, I have all the room to be mad! How could you not tell me about your brother and Kagura? How could you not tell me about Rin and Naraku? In fact, you never told me that she moved in with you in the first place! I found out because she just showed up at _my _house one day!"

"I was trying to figure it out myself, I didn't need you freaking out and—"

She cut him off again. "Figure it out yourself? You stubborn idiot! This isn't even about you! Any information you have that can help us help Kikyo, you should tell me immediately! It's my family who's in trouble! I'm the one who will have to deal with the consequences—"

"I know that, you idiot, why do you think I'm working so hard!"

"So, then, why don't you tell me things? You don't trust me!"

He blinked. "Don't be stupid."

"I am _not_ being stupid!" She shouted back, her anger making her more emotional. "You don't! Friends are supposed to look out for each other, but you think I'm stupid and useless, so of course you don't trust me enough to tell me anything!" She was upset, really this time. About what? That she thought he didn't trust her?

"Will you shut up, you idiot, I don't think you're stupid!"

"Well, _geeze_, you sure could have fooled me!"

He bit his tongue, fighting back the flare of anger that she always seemed to coax out of him. She was so stubborn. He said in a more controlled tone. "I'm trying to apologize, if you'd give me a chance."

That seemed to floor her. Her eyebrows shot up so high he thought they might be lost in her hair forever. Immediately he felt his cheeks flush, knowing full well that this was out of character for him and she had recognized that. He turned away, saying, "D-don't think that that means I think what I did was wrong, ok? I was dealing with it just fine myself."

Her face returned to a look of irritation, but she didn't say anything. She kept walking, and he followed along beside her, trying not to look at her. And more often failing than not.

At the shrine steps he followed her to the top, which he usually did now. He wanted to be sure he saw her go inside, and even then he'd hang around for ten or twenty minutes after, just to make sure nothing else happened. After coming to her house that past weekend, he had even taken to walking her right to the door, granted that no one from her family was outside to watch him do so.

So even though she was still huffy, he followed her to the door, but instead of turning and telling him goodbye like usual, she said, "Wait here."

"Huh? What for?"

"Just _wait_," She said impatiently. Then she went inside.

He glared at the closed door but did as he was told.

She was taking forever. He moved from the immediate doorway to lean against the house. The house was quiet, so he wondered if anyone else was even home. After a few minutes the Higurashi's fat cat came by and sniffed at his shoes. He reached down to bet the animal, only to find that Buyo purred so heartily and rolled over so happily that he decided to give her a proper scratching. So he sat on the cobbled stones outside the house, watching the shade of the Sacred Tree's stretch longer across the courtyard, Buyo purring fat and happy on his lap, even when he tugged at her ears and poked at her paws.

"So, what," He said to the cat, his patience wearing thin again after the half hour of sitting outside, "Did she forget about me? Or is she trying to punish me?"

Buyo just purred. The cat's pleasure was startled as Inuyasha stood up, a growl in his throat as he swung the front door open without knocking. He kicked his shoes off and stomped through the house, quickly finding Kagome in the kitchen, where a pot was boiling and food was cooking in a skillet.

"What the?" He said, looking at the yellow apron she wore, her sleeves rolled up. She hadn't even changed out of her uniform, and her schoolbag was on the edge of the counter. "What the heck are you doing? You just going to leave me outside to dry out while you _cook_?"

She gave him an icy look, then went back to chopping vegetables.

He walked into the kitchen, looking down at the bento boxes filled with rice, ready to be decorated with meats and veggies. He was mad enough that he didn't bother getting out of her way, so she passed right under his nose to the bentos.

"Kagome," He growled. "I'm going home."

"Don't, stupid," She said, being equally as stubborn and not letting him get away with standing in her way. As a result she stood right beside him, her shoulder brushing his chest. "These are for Rin. I need you to take them home with you."

He paused, and when she returned to the stove to stir what was in the skillet, he looked down at the bentos again. "You're making her food? Why? We do feed her, you know. We're not animals."

"I know that, but she probably hasn't had any home cooked food in ages. Right?" She added sardonically, "Or do you have a love of cooking that I don't know about?"

"Well, it's not that I _don't _know how to…ya know…cook rice."

"Or Sessomaru? Does he cook?"

"Ha. As if. I don't even know if he eats."

Kagome nodded, confirming her own suspicions. Inuyasha pursed his lips together before letting out a sigh. How could he be mad at her now? If he was, he'd be the one being a jerk.

He leaned against the counter with his arms crossed and watched her work. She looked so serious. Before he might have thought that was strange, that he was only used to seeing her smiling or angry. Now he was used to the expression. All of her expressions were becoming familiar to him, and it just made her seem so…alive. Watching the tiny movements of her face flicker by from emotion to emotion on any given day made him feel like she was more alive than anyone else he knew. Or, at least, he'd never been allowed to become close enough with someone this alive. He liked it. It made him feel alive, too. As if everything before had been a dream and maybe now he was waking up.

So he let her work, watching as she molded rice balls, flicked her hair out of her face without touching it with sticky hands, squeaked at the pot before quickly taking it off the heat, taste the stir fry in the skillet before wincing and adding more spices. He had eaten Kagome's cooking before on several occasions, and although it was never anything amazing, it was always good and warm and made specifically for him. It had been a long, long time since he had watched anyone cook, though. Watching Kagome made him feel young, sitting on the edge of a chair that was too tall for him as his mother hummed over the stove.

Kagome's voice tugged him gently out of his reverie.

"You can trust me, you know," She said softly but firmly, carefully placing rice balls in a neat little row. "I can handle things better than you think. I won't screw things up or tell your secrets. I know I can't fix everything, but I just want to…know. Know about your life. Know what's going on with you." She turned the faucet on and let it wash over her hands. "I'm not as dumb as you think I am."

She hadn't looked at him once since the entire time she was working, and even now she wouldn't look at him when she spoke. His jaw clenched as he looked at her profile, so seriously slicing carrots into perfectly equal lengths. He recognized the subtle firmness of her face, the line of her mouth. She wasn't just mad. She was hurt. She was hurt that he had kept something so important from her. She was hurt that he, whom she willingly called friend, hadn't relied on her.

A pit in his stomach felt like it was pulling him toward her. His body rocked forward slightly as he almost stepped across the kitchen to take the knife from her hands so he could hold them. But he stopped, keeping his arms crossed to his chest. He couldn't keep touching her like that in little ways. He had been doing it all week, sometimes without even noticing until afterwards. He wasn't sure when his desire to touch her had changed. Before, he had avoided it like the plague, as though she burned him every time they touched. At the very least it had confused him and made him feel odd, so he had ignored it, choosing to believe she was simply Kikyo's weird little sister. Now it felt different. Now he felt like those small burns were something he needed to keep him sane. She had been more careful about the physical contact lately, keeping her hands more to herself than she had in the last six months. It bothered him and worried him, but he told himself it was fine. He felt like if he wasn't careful he might lose control and hug her every time he felt like he needed one, which would be all too often.

Instead, he spoke to her from where he was, "I don't think you're stupid. It's not like I didn't think you could handle it, it was just…" What had it been? Why hadn't he told her like he had Miroku? "I was trying to figure it out and I didn't want you in the middle of it because…I didn't want you to get hurt."

She turned to him then, more like cocked her head, her hair falling out from behind her ear as she listened to him with a sober expression.

He kept going, "At first I didn't know who Kagura was, I just knew that she had been hanging around school and that it made you paranoid enough to dress up like Kikyo every day. I knew that wasn't right. I've never seen you scared like that before, and I wasn't sure what to do about it. So when you finally told me everything about Naraku, I knew that Sessomaru was connected somehow and so was Rin. I should have told you then, but I didn't. It wasn't because I don't trust you." He looked her right in the eyes as he said it. He had to make sure that she understood him, he had to make sure that she knew that what he had done hadn't been _because_ of her but _for_ her. "You'd just been kidnapped, Kagome, and that, that freaked me out." He smiled humorlessly, looking away from her. "The last thing I wanted to do was act too hastily and end up getting you in more trouble. So I told Miroku about it, and he wanted to look into it more before doing anything. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

She was quiet. He looked at her again to see her stirring the skillet she glanced up at him, and this time she had a small smile. "I'm sorry, too. For getting so mad."

He smiled back. He felt a bit warm, and like that pit in his stomach was pulling him toward her again. Maybe he was standing too close to the stove. He watched Kagome cook for another minute before he said, "I think Rin is safe. Miroku dug up some dirt on her, and apparently her family was tangled up in some mess with Naraku, and her house burned down very 'mysteriously' soon after. She was the only one that survived, they think because she was so small. Her mother slid her under the bed, which kept her from breathing in too much smoke. She was in and out of the hospital and foster care for years. I have no clue how or why still, but somehow Sessomaru found her. Miroku said he found some records that showed an outside party paying for medical treatment, and I can only assume it was Sessomaru. I don't know what possessed him to bring her home, if it has something to do with Naraku or not, but at least I can tell you she's safe. She has a stupid amount of dresses and dolls, and Sessomaru lets her put her drawings of princesses and ponies all over the house."

At that he was glad to hear Kagome giggle. She smiled into the food she was making, and he felt himself put at ease to see it. "I'm glad," She said. "That little girl is very sweet, and she deserves to be taken care of."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that," He responded lightly, "Sessomaru makes sure she is. Or at least, he makes sure his assistant makes sure she is. Either way, Sessomaru is a way better guardian for her than he ever was for me."

She snorted. "Don't remind me. It makes me angry just thinking about it."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Oh? Why's that?"

"Are you kidding me?" She said, her calmness dissipating as the fire inside her flared up again. "How could I not be angry? You deserve to be taken care of just as much as Rin does!"

At that he couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped him. "I'm plenty able to take care of myself. I don't need Sessomaru or anyone else."

"No one else, huh?" She said as she took the skillet over the bentos and carefully filled them. "Well, then, I guess that means you don't need this extra bento that I made for you."

"Eh, what? You made me one?" He leaned close over her shoulder as she filled the bentos. She nudged him away with a grin.

"Hey, I thought you said you didn't need anyone taking care of you?"

"Well, I mean, if food is involved maybe I'll let you. Only you, though." That seemed to catch her off guard, so he reached for a piece of cooked pork that sat on top of the closest bento.

"Inuyasha, _no_," She said with a cheeky smile, pulling his hand away. He smirked and grabbed her wrist bofore reaching over with his free hand to snatch a piece of meat. "Wait, no, these are for later!" She tried to grab at it, but he held her wrist at his side to keep her from stopping him from popping it in his mouth. He couldn't help but grin down at her as she watched him chew with a false pout. He could see the pink in her cheeks. She wasn't mad. He chuckled, and her false anger fell away into a laugh, which he was glad to hear. He hadn't heard it all day.

Setting the skillet down, she asked. "How is it?"

"Not bad. A little sweet for me."

She gave him a sidelong look. "I have a feeling you're impossible to please. Do you ever like anyone's cooking?"

"Well, I've only really had your cooking, and on Sunday your mom's. Other than that I don't think I've had home cooking since I lived with my own mom."

That surprised her. "Really? How long ago was that?"

"Like ten years." He shrugged, aware that her wrist was still in his hand and she was still standing close. Good. He liked her close. He could see the flecks of color in her brown eyes and the blush on her cheeks when she was embarrassed when she was this close. Dang it, there were those weird cravings to be touching her again. He should let go. But he really didn't want to.

"Ten years!" She exclaimed, gaping at him. "Really?"

"Well, yeah. Who else would have cooked for me?"

That bothered her, he could tell. With a small smile, he imagined a seven-year-old Kagome running into his eight-year-old self. No doubt she would have dragged him home and made him wait while she stood on a chair and cooked ramen or something else equally simple. He wished he had known her then. He wondered if he would have grown up different. He wondered if she was just as cute then as she was now.

"Oh." Was all she said. He watched her lick her lips, her very pink lips, he noticed, before she said, "Was your mom a good cook?"

"Mm." He looked down at the hardwood floor, picturing his long-haired mother with her heart shaped face and soft smile. It still hurt to think about her sometimes, but he supposed it was better than forgetting about her. "From what I remember, she was actually not that great at cooking. She burned it a lot. But she was always humming in the kitchen, and I never really minded her burned food. I miss it now."

The atmosphere had become serious again. Geeze, why had he talked about his mother? He should have known better. It never put him in a good mood. It just hurt his heart. He winced at his lameness before he clenched his jaw, chasing out his sorrow and replacing it with hardness. But a small hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned to Kagome to see that she was smiling sadly. Not in a depressed way, but in a way that told him she understood the bittersweet memories of a parent.

She'd gotten him talking about his mother. Without even realizing it, he'd talked about his mother like it was easy. He straightened a little, but that same pit in his stomach only brought him closer to her, leaning near her face. It wasn't lost on him that this was the first time she had initiated physical contact with him in days, and that made him feel relieved. The pink in her cheeks deepened slightly and he smirked, giving her wrist a little tug. "There, you happy?"

"What?" She said, perplexed and a bit breathless.

"You still think I don't trust you? I told you about my mom, and I've never told anyone about her."

She blinked up at him, her eyes looking sweet as she searched his. He always felt like she was looking at more than just his eyes when their gazes locked. She was looking at all of him. All the parts of him that everyone assumed didn't exist because he was Inuyasha, the jerk of a bad boy who snarled at everyone.

"Anyone?" She said.

"Anyone." He replied with another little smirk.

They watched each other carefully, and he could feel the bubbling of the pot behind her and any other house-hold sounds fading away, like he had tunnel vision. At the end of the tunnel was Kagome, and she was looking very pink and kissable and the pit in his stomach was nearly making him sick it was pulling him toward her so hard. Her hand was on his shoulder but after a second it moved to his face, causing his heart to constrict and the pit to pull harder. She very carefully put her fingers on his cheek, running her thumb lightly over his eyebrow. The skin there was tender, and he supposed she was looking at a bruise that was forming from Koga's punch earlier.

"See," She told him softly with a small smile, "I told you that you need someone to take care of you."

He didn't dare move, afraid that if he did he might startle her away, and he didn't want that. He wanted her hands on him. "And I told you, if anyone's gonna take care of me, there's only you to do it." He wasn't even sure what he was saying anymore, or why. She just got things out of him that he never meant to say out loud. Like this next thing: "Kagome. Why did you kiss me before?"

Her thumb paused over his brow and her eyes flicked from the wound to his eyes. He might have regretted asking the question if his brain weren't so fuzzy and the pit in his stomach wasn't working its way into the rest of his body, leaning him even further towards her, his eyes getting caught on her lips more often than her eyes.

"Why?" She breathed, watching him come closer but doing nothing about it. Good. If she had moved away it probably would have brought him back to reality. But she wasn't moving, and her hand was still on his cheek, and on some subconscious level he knew that was encouraging.

"Yeah. Why."

Her face was red and she seemed distracted, her lips parted in a sign of surprise but her eyes droopy, like she was perfectly warm and comfortable. "Mm, because…I wanted to."

He would have smiled if he could have. But currently he couldn't. All he could do was watch her lips, his fingers moving from her wrist to trail up the skin of her bare arm. He had known it—if he wasn't careful, he would lose control, and here he was, throwing it right out the window. Dang it, this girl. Since when had she become something that he needed near him so much?

She swallowed, licking her lips again. "The food is burning."

Absently he noticed the smell of burning food, but if she thought she was going to slip out of his grasp now, she was crazy. "Good. Let it burn. I like it that way." He was so close that all that was left to do was turn his head slightly. And then he softly and purposefully kissed her.

* * *

Oh, gods. Spirits. Demons. Whoever it was that her grandfather was always saying watched over their shrine. She didn't care who. All she knew was that she was standing in her kitchen, kissing Inuyasha, and she wasn't sure if it was a dream or not. Actually, _he_ was very much kissing_ her_. And in her school uniform and tattered yellow apron, smelling like garlic and cooked pork, no less.

He didn't seem to mind. He was kissing her firmly, his hands moving to her waist, pulling her stomach against his. He felt strong, like she could lean against him completely and be totally safe. So she did, one hand resting against his chest, the other moving from his face to the back of his neck, sliding through his long, thick hair on the way.

How was this happening right now?

Vaguely she was aware of some nervous feelings—did she smell ok? Was she even a good kisser? She'd never really kissed anyone before, except Hojo at a Christmas party a year ago. He didn't seem to mind, and in fact he was expertly taking the lead, carefully turning his head and never bumping her nose. Kissing him was amazing. How was he so good at this?

Suddenly, the image of Kikyo's face flashed behind her closed eyes.

Oh.

Of course.

He'd had plenty of practice with Kikyo.

And then she felt panicked. She was kissing Inuyasha, who was in love with her sister, and whom her sister probably completely expected to come home to soon. Gosh, dang it. The word _rebounding_ crossed her mind so quickly that she pushed against his chest, breaking the kiss and leaning away.

With his eyes still closed, his dark eyebrows knit together as he pulled her back, saying heavily, "Wait, Kagome, wait."

Kagome. Her own name. Not Kikyo's or anyone else's. Stupid jerk, making her so weak willed with just the sound of her own name. She let him pull her back and kiss her again, and this time he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her flush against him so she couldn't get away. That was fine with her. She loved the feeling of his strong arms around her, holding her up on her tiptoes as she locked her hands behind his neck.

Oh gosh, oh gosh, he was _really_ good at this. She had secretly imagined kissing him a hundred times, and dreamt about it a hundred more, but those were nothing compared to the real thing. Nothing compared to the real feel of his lips, the real heat of his breath, the real weight of his hands on her back.

It was too soon that their kisses slowed, their breathing calming down until she found herself slowly pulling away and looking up at him. He looked back with those amber eyes that bored into her. He was looking at her strangely, the same way that he had looked at her in the minutes right before he had kissed her. The same way she had caught him looking at her several times this week. She recognized it now. It was _want_.

Suddenly and loudly, Sota's voice floated down the front hall toward them, followed by her mother's. She inhaled sharply and pulled back, only to find a resistance from Inuyasha's arms. It only lasted a second, before he let her slip away. She walked backwards until she hit the other counter, looking the short distance across to him, where he stood frozen, his chest still moving as he breathed a bit heavily.

Then Sota came from the hall, his laughter cut off by a wide grin as he said, "Inuyasha! I didn't know you were here!"

Inuyasha's eyes finally moved off of hers, turning to glance at her little brother and then mother.

"Hello, dear!" Asako called cheerily, carrying an armful of groceries. "And Inuyasha, so good to see you again! Oh, Kagome, have you already got dinner started? Will Inuyasha be eating with us?"

"No," Inuyasha said, pushing away from the counter, "I was just leaving."

Kagome's heart squeezed together inside her chest, the beating painful as she watched him walk away without looking at her. She caught her mother's eye, and Asako looked between the two of them quietly.

Sota chattered away as he helped his mother unload the groceries, and Kagome silently turned off the stove and pulled the pot off, looking down at the burned food.

"You alright, dear?" Asako asked cautiously. "That's an awful lot of bentos you've made there."

That's right. The bentos. Inuyasha had left without them. Technically she hadn't finished them. Should she call him back in? She thought she might die if she had to see his face again so soon. What if he looked guilty? What if he looked regretful? She couldn't do it. There was no way.

But.

Rin.

"Dang it all!" She growled, slamming her fist on the counter and startling Sota.

"Hey, watch it, sis!" He chastised, "What's got you so fired up?"

She ignored him, quickly flying to finishes off the bentos as best she could before finding lids for them. Asako just watched her, now asking questions. She would later, Kagome knew, but for now she was glad that her mother just let her do what she needed to.

Two minutes later she had the bentos in a bag and was hurriedly putting on her shoes, hoping Inuyasha hadn't gone to far and that she could catch up to him quickly. She burst out the front door, letting it swing shut behind her, but she was only able to run three steps before she had to screech to a halt.

Inuyasha was standing barely ten feet outside the front door. It looked like he had just…stopped. Well, now he had turned in surprise, at her sudden exit from the house.

She swallowed, feeling the heat rise in her face as she stared up at him in shock. She had thought for sure he would have booked it away from her house as quickly as possible. Instead, here he was, awkwardly looking back at her.

"Inuyasha, uh-um," Embarassingly, her voice cracked and she stopped to clear her throat. "Um, you forgot this, and, uh, I had hoped you hadn't gone too far so I could, uh, catch up. Um, here. Take these with you." She held out the bag, not able to look him in the eye.

Gosh, what could he be thinking right now? She was too horrified to know. But he had kissed _her_, right? But that didn't mean that any of it had been ok, no matter how much she had enjoyed it. _Rebounding_.

A soft chuckle gave her pause. She looked up to see Inuyasha looking at the bag of food with a smile so real and so gentle that it made her heart stop. He took it carefully, his hand brushing hers lightly, before he said in a soft voice, "Thanks. Rin will love them."

All she could do was give a shaky nod. He turned and headed away from the house, and Kagome watched him go, putting her fingers lightly to her lips.

_Dang it._

* * *

Oh, hell.

He had kissed Kagome. Really good and kissed her. And his head was still spinning from it.

He couldn't believe it. What had he been thinking? Well, he hadn't been, that was the issue.

He had spent the majority of the year dating her sister—a relationship that had only ended because of some very unforeseen circumstances beyond their control. He loved Kikyo. Kikyo was the first person who had befriended him, the first person who had understood him. Kikyo was the one he had vowed to love forever, and the one he would have waited for forever if she had asked him to.

He had kissed Kagome in her house, barely avoiding being found by her mother and brother, who knew full well that he and Kikyo had been a thing. In fact, as far as they knew, he and Kikyo _still were_ a thing. The only one who knew she had broken up with him was Kagome.

And the biggest issue was this:

That not once, not when he had waited outside the house for her, not when he had talked with her in the kitchen, not when he had been consumed with kissing her, had he thought of Kikyo. It had just been Kagome. Make Kagome smile, watch Kagome work, touch Kagome, kiss Kagome.

And, oh, _man_, had he liked kissing her. He always liked kissing, obviously, and he had thought that nothing could be better than kissing Kikyo, who was safe and beautiful and his. But now—now he knew that there was kissing Kagome, and kissing Kagome was amazing and wonderful and satisfying and _flying_. Kissing Kagome had made him fly.

He wanted to kiss her again.

Oh, hell.

He felt guilty. Thoughts of Kikyo swam through his mind darkly, reminding him of promises they had made, of times they had been together, of finally having someone in his life who cared about him.

And of how his heart had broken when she had told him she was leaving, without any sort of explanation. Now she had broken up with him, too. It had been nearly five days, and he felt each one heavily. He knew there were reasons, of course he did. Kikyo had done it for his own good. But that didn't stop his cheeks from heating up every time he remembered Kagome's soft lips, Kagome's body against his, Kagome's hands in his hair, Kagome kissing him like she desperately _wanted_ to.

Oh, hell.

He was home before he realized how he had gotten there. He looked at the foreboding house, which now had a pink bicycle leaning against the side. He snorted. He'd never been allowed to have a bicycle. Whatever.

He walked inside and went to the kitchen, calling through the house, "Hey, Rin, Kagome sent you dinner."

"Kagome did?" She called back from the living room. "Yay!"

He set the bag of bentos on the counter and turned, fulling intending to put his head in the sink and let cold water run all over it. But he jumped when he saw Sessomaru standing in the doorway, looking at him sternly.

"What?" He snapped, brushing off his surprise with anger.

Sessomaru turned slightly, as though signaling that Inuyasha should follow him back to his office. "We need to talk."


End file.
